On Sunday 18 January 1981 a fire broke out in a house in New Cross Road, Deptford, South East London, killing 13 young people and marking a massive change for black people in Britain.
Thirteen people died in the New Cross fire and another, committed suicide 18 months later in July 1983, aged 20, having been traumatised by the tragedy.
In this video, we remember the young people and the events that led to a positive change for Black people in Britain.
Demonstration
On 2 March, six weeks after the fire, the Black People’s Day of Action took place. It was a huge demonstration that saw some 20,000 people march across London to demand justice, bringing several parts of the capital to a standstill.
Despite the police investigation being reopened after 16 years and two inquests, the precise cause of the fire has never been established and nobody has ever been charged in relation to the blaze.
See also:
New Cross Fire – 30 years on
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