On June 14^th 2017 in the early hours of the morning, an inferno broke out in Grenfell Tower, North Kensington. The fire rapidly engulfed all floors in the tower causing unimaginable loss of life, injury and trauma to residents of the building and the community at large. The following day a full public inquiry was ordered into the causes of the fire.

BMELawyers4Grenfell have a direct and significant role in relation to matters to which the inquiry relates. In particular, ensuring, advising and making informed representations as to race implications concerning the inquiry process.

However, on the 12^th October 2017 the inquiry Chair, Sir Martin Moore-Bick, refused BMELawyers4Grenfell Core Participant status in the inquiry. A core participant is an individual, organisation or institution that has a specific interest in the work of the Inquiry, and has a formal role as defined by legislation.

We urgently need to raise £2,500 to challenge this decision enabling us to fully participate in the inquiry investigation. 

Who we are

We are a group of leading British BME lawyers and community justice groups who have been working severally and jointly for over 30 years in the pursuit of justice in our communities. We come from a range of groups including: Society of Black Lawyers, Society of Asian Lawyers, Blaksox, Black Activists Rising Against Cuts (BARACK) UK, Operation Black Vote (OBV) and The Association of Black Probation Officers.

We are assisted and supported by survivors, residents and community workers and have a wealth of experience in conducting and working as part of Public Inquiries spanning over thirty-five years.

Our Challenge 

Core Participant status serves to make the Inquiry more efficient and transparent. The issue is one of expertly informing and participating in the Inquiry process. That is why inclusion within the Inquiry should prioritise British Minority, Ethnic experience and the legal expertise of our group.

We regularly make representations on issues like disproportionate allocation of social housing to BME communities, the disabled and vulnerable migrant communities. These are all issues that relate to Grenfell Tower. The vast majority of residents are from BME communities, with a disproportionate number being from the Muslim community were repeatedly ignored when extensive representations were made to the TMO and to the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea about the various defects relating to electrical wiring, gas mains, power surges and a variety of other safety concerns.

Why this matters

The primary objective of BMELawyersforGrenfell is to listen to the community, monitor developments, analyze the key issues, challenge and apply pressure to those making decisions namely, the organs of local and central Government, including the Public Inquiry itself, for the collective benefit of the community.

We are concerned that housing inequality combined with the austerity cuts has led to BME children, elderly people and disabled people not only living in this vulnerable and risky high rise building but also on the highest floors of the building. 

We believe that discrimination, inequality, injustice, racism, poverty and austerity cuts were significant factors that were layered onto the technical causes of to be found in the south of the Borough. These reasons were the context in which the reason why those residents living in Grenfell Tower either died, suffered or have become displaced, losing everything as a result of the fire.

Why we are raising money

Initially, we need to raise £2500 to bring a Judicial Review of Sir Martin Moore-Bick's refusal to grant Core Participation status. This funding is imperative to moving our case for Judicial Review forward, without this funding we would not be able to challenge and apply pressure to the government where needed.

If we reach our target with your support we will then raise an additional £7,500 to support ongoing legal challenges throughout the inquiry process where required to ensure that the race implications remain central to the process.

Photo By ChiralJon (Grenfell Tower) via Wikimedia Commons