🔗 Share this article Officials Reject National Probe into Birmingham City Bar Attacks Government officials have ruled out establishing a national inquiry into the Provisional IRA's 1974 Birmingham city bar bombings. This Tragic Incident On 21 November 1974, 21 people were killed and 220 hurt when bombs were detonated at the Mulberry Bush and Tavern in the Town pub establishments in Birmingham, in an assault commonly accepted to have been planned by the Irish Republican Army. Legal Aftermath No one has been found guilty for the attacks. Back in 1991, 6 defendants had their sentences overturned after spending over 16 years in prison in what remains one of the most severe miscarriages of justice in United Kingdom history. Victims' Families Campaign for Truth Families have for decades campaigned for a open probe into the attacks to discover what the government was aware of at the time of the tragedy and why nobody has been brought to justice. Official Decision The security minister, Dan Jarvis, stated on Thursday that while he had sincere compassion for the families, the administration had determined “after detailed deliberation” it would not authorize an probe. Jarvis stated the administration considers the reconciliation commission, set up to examine fatalities related to the Northern Ireland conflict, could investigate the Birmingham incidents. Advocates React Campaigner Julie Hambleton, whose teenage sister Maxine was killed in the bombings, stated the statement showed “the authorities show no concern”. The 62-year-old has for years fought for a public inquiry and stated she and other bereaved families had “no plan” of engaging in the investigative panel. “We see no genuine impartiality in the body,” she stated, adding it was “equivalent to them grading their own performance”. Calls for Evidence Disclosure Over the years, bereaved loved ones have been demanding the release of papers from government bodies on the event – especially on what the government knew prior to and following the attack, and what information there is that could lead to arrests. “The entire British establishment is resisting our families from ever discovering the facts,” she stated. “Solely a statutory judicial national investigation will grant us entry to the files they claim they don’t have.” Official Authority A legally mandated public probe has distinct judicial authorities, encompassing the power to oblige witnesses to testify and disclose details connected to the inquiry. Earlier Investigation An inquest in 2019 – fought for bereaved families – determined the those killed were illegally slain by the Provisional IRA but did not establish the names of those culpable. Hambleton said: “Government bodies informed the then coroner that they have no records or information on what continues to be Britain's longest open multiple killing of the 20th century, but now they intend to pressure us down the route of this Legacy Commission to share evidence that they state has never been available”. Political Criticism Liam Byrne, the MP for Hodge Hill and Solihull North, described the government’s announcement as “extremely unsatisfactory”. Through a statement on Twitter, Byrne said: “After such a long period, so much suffering, and so many failures” the families are entitled to a procedure that is “independent, judge-led, with full powers and fearless in the search for the reality.” Ongoing Grief Reflecting on the family’s enduring pain, Hambleton, who leads the Justice 4 the 21, said: “No family of any tragedy of any kind will ever have resolution. It is impossible. The pain and the sorrow remain.”