Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Grenfell: Vigils held to mark one year since fire

SURVIVORS of London's Grenfell Tower fire, and friends and relatives of the 71 people it killed, held vigils and prayed together as they marked the first anniversary of a tragedy that still haunts Britain.

Grenfell Tower, a social housing block that was home to a close-knit, ethnically diverse community, was engulfed by flames in the middle of the night of June 14, 2017, in the country's deadliest domestic fire since World War Two.


The disaster, which occurred in one of London's richest boroughs, prompted a national outpouring of anguish over social inequalities, poor quality public housing and neglect of immigrant communities.

The charred ruin of the block, covered in white sheeting, was lit up overnight in green, a colour adopted by the community of survivors and bereaved people as a symbol of the tragedy.

Nearby tower blocks were also lit up in green, as was Number 10 Downing Street, the official residence of Prime Minister Theresa May, a few miles away. A floral tribute from May was placed at a church close to the tower, with a hand-written note saying the victims would never be forgotten.

There were emotional scenes close to the base of the tower, where community members walked silently to a vigil, holding up pictures of those who died.

They included people of all ages and of 19 nationalities. Individual tributes have been paid to them all at a public inquiry into the disaster, painting a portrait of a vibrant community.

As some community members broke their Ramadan fast on Wednesday evening (13), eating together in a street close to the tower, the driver of a train passing by on an elevated rail line stopped the vehicle, stepped out of his cabin and raised a green banner. The people below cheered.

At St Clement's, a church where people fleeing the burning building had gathered on the night of the fire and local residents came to offer emergency help, an all-night, silent vigil took place.

The silence was broken only when the names of the victims were read out at 1:30 a.m. - the time the blaze engulfed the tower a year earlier - and by prayers said on the hour through the night.

In the run-up to the anniversary, the top floors of the charred ruins of the building have been covered with white sheeting displaying large green hearts and the words "Grenfell Forever In Our Hearts".

A national silence will take place at noon. It will last 72 seconds, one for each victim on the night and for a resident who died in hospital months after being rescued.

Commemorations will also include a silent march on Thursday evening, and religious services at churches and mosques.

The public inquiry into the causes of the fire is not sitting in the anniversary week, out of respect for the victims and survivors.

The blaze is also the subject of a police inquiry which could result in criminal charges related to negligence and breaches of health and safety regulations

More For You

Milton-Keynes

Eyewitnesses described hearing shouting before the shooting

iStock

Man shot dead by police outside Milton Keynes railway station

A MAN was shot dead by police outside Milton Keynes Central station after reports that he was carrying a firearm.

Thames Valley Police (TVP) said officers were called to the station at 12:55, where they challenged a suspect carrying a knife. The man moved towards officers before police fired at him.

Keep ReadingShow less
EXCLUSIVE: Eastern Eye wins press freedoms to help judges

SCRUTINY: The tribunal’s favourable verdict is an important win for accountability, say current and retired Asian judges (Pic credit: Getty Images/Leon Neal)

EXCLUSIVE: Eastern Eye wins press freedoms to help judges

A tribunal has ordered the body which appoints judges in England and Wales to disclose records it refused to give to Eastern Eye.

The decision is a major victory for press freedoms because it forces the Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) to become more open and transparent.

Keep ReadingShow less
Sunita-Williams-Reuters

Sunita Williams was part of the SpaceX Crew-9 mission and had been stranded in space for over nine months. (Photo: Reuters)

Reuters)

India looks amazing from space, says Sunita Williams

NASA astronaut Sunita Williams described India as "amazing" from space and expressed her intention to visit her "father's home country" to share her experiences on space exploration.

Speaking at a press conference on Monday, she responded to a question about how India appeared from space and the possibility of collaboration with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

Keep ReadingShow less
british-muslims-iStock

The study noted that this identification was not due to any doctrinal obligation but was influenced by the perception that many Muslims do not feel fully accepted as British. (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

Majority of British Muslims identify by faith first, study finds

A STUDY by the Institute for the Impact of Faith in Life (IIFL) has found that most British Muslims identify primarily with their religion rather than their nationality.

The research, based on a survey of 815 British Muslim adults by Whitestone Insight, revealed that 71 per cent of respondents identified as Muslim first, while 27 per cent identified as British, English, or Scottish first.

Keep ReadingShow less
Car Tax Changes: EV Owners Now Required to Pay for the First Time

Owners of electric vehicles registered on or after 1 April 2025 will pay £10 for the first year, followed by the standard VED rate of £195 from the second year. (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

Car tax changes take effect: EV owners to pay for first time

FROM today, 1 April 2025, electric cars, vans, and motorcycles in the UK will be subject to Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) for the first time.

The change, introduced in the 2022 Autumn Statement by former Conservative Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, aims to make motoring taxation fairer.

Keep ReadingShow less