Grenfell survivors and victims’ families demand justice on final anniversary before tower demolition
Grieving families and survivors at Grenfell will gather this weekend for the final anniversary of the tower block before its complete collapse, nine years after the deadly fire.
This comes after police and prosecutors announced last month that up to 20 companies and 57 people could face criminal charges in connection with the fire.
The Metropolitan Police said decisions will be made on whether any charges will be brought before the 10th anniversary next year.
Potential crimes considered include corporate gross negligence, manslaughter, fraud, health and safety violations and misconduct in public office.
Grenfell survivor Edward Daffarn said the update was “encouraging” but continued “waiting for justice is tortuous and that’s an old expression, but justice delayed is justice denied”.
The annual silent march will take place in West London on Sunday evening, followed by the reading of the names of the 72 dead and speeches from campaigners.
The June 2017 fire was preventable after a public inquiry found governments and the construction industry had failed for decades to guard against the dangers of flammable materials in high-rise buildings.
The inquiry’s final report in 2024 found that victims, bereaved and survivors had been “badly failed” by incompetence, dishonesty and greed, with the tower block covered in flammable products due to “systematic fraud” by firms making and selling cladding and insulation.
Sir Martin Moore-Bick, chairman of the inquiry, condemned the “deliberate and sustained” manipulation of fire safety tests, misrepresentation of test data and misleading the market.
Mr Daffarn said it was “absolutely essential” that people and companies are held accountable for what is happening.
He told the Press Association: “It is encouraging that we have a timetable within which these criminal prosecutions are likely to occur, which is absolutely crucial.”
Grenfell United, which represents many of the bereaved and survivors, asked people to join Sunday’s march “in solidarity to remember those we have lost and to demand justice”, noting that this was “the last anniversary of which any part of Grenfell Tower remains”.
Mr Daffarn told PA: “This is the first year that mourners and survivors will not be able to visit the tower to leave flowers and offer their condolences.
“We don’t know exactly what the site will look like (on its 10th anniversary next year), so people need to find different ways to remember.”
The process of demolishing the tower began in September last year and the Government has said at this point it is expected to take around two years to complete.
News of the government’s decision to demolish last year was met with criticism from some mourners and survivors, who expressed their sadness and shock and said they felt their views were not taken into account before the decision was made.
Then-housing minister Angela Rayner later said in an interview that she knew the meeting with those most closely affected would be “really difficult” and that “there was no consensus” among everyone about what should happen to the tower.
Opinions differed; While the department acknowledged there were hopes among some people that part of the tower would remain to commemorate what happened, others said it would be “very painful”.
The Department for Housing, Communities and Local Government confirmed that work on the tower would pause from Friday until Tuesday “as a mark of respect”.
Separately, the Grenfell Tower Memorial Commission is consulting on plans for a permanent memorial on the tower site, with proposals including a “sacred space” designed as a “peaceful place for remembrance and reflection”.
Design team Freehaus was selected to create a memorial last year and is working with bereaved and surviving families, as well as the local community, to produce the final design, which is expected to be announced in mid-2027.
