Nine years after Grenfell, community gathers before building is demolished

Grenfell family members and survivors have gathered together, nine years on from the fatal fire, to mark its final anniversary before the tower block is completely demolished.

72 people died in the fire on June 14, 2017, caused by an electrical fault on one of the fourth-floor flats which then spread to the building’s outside cladding.

Today’s gathering comes after police and prosecutors announced last month that up to 20 companies and 57 individuals could face criminal charges over the blaze.

Decisions will be made on whether any charges will be brought before next year’s 10th anniversary, the Metropolitan Police said.

Potential offences under consideration include corporate gross negligence manslaughter, fraud, health and safety breaches, and misconduct in public office.

Grenfell survivor Edward Daffarn said that while the update was encouraging, the continued ‘wait for justice is torturous’. ‘Tt’s an old expression, but justice delayed is justice denied,’ he said.

A church service will take place on Sunday afternoon, with the annual silent walk in west London in the evening, followed by the reading of the names of the 72 dead, and speeches by campaigners.

The fire in was found by a public inquiry to have been avoidable, having been preceded by ‘decades of failure’ by governments and the building industry to act on the dangers of flammable materials on high-rise buildings.

The inquiry’s final report in 2024 found that victims, their loved ones and survivors were ‘badly failed’ through incompetence, dishonesty and greed.

The failures were blamed on the ‘systematic dishonesty’ of firms which made and sold the cladding and insulation.

Inquiry chairman Sir Martin Moore-Bick condemned the ‘deliberate and sustained’ manipulation of fire safety testing, misrepresentation of test data and misleading of the market.

He told the Press Association: ‘It’s encouraging that we have a timeline now where there is a chance of these criminal prosecutions happening, which is absolutely essential.’

Grenfell United, which represents many of the bereaved and survivors, has asked people to join Sunday’s walk ‘in solidarity to remember those we lost, and demand justice’, noting that it is ‘the last anniversary with any part of Grenfell Tower remaining’.

‘This is the first year that bereaved and survivors are not going to be able to visit the tower to lay flowers and pay our condolences,’ Mr Moore-Bick said.

‘We don’t know exactly what the site is going to look like (next year on the 10th anniversary), so people are having to find different ways to remember.’

The process of bringing the tower down began in September last year, and the government said at that point that it was expected to take around two years to be completed.

News of the government’s demolition decision last year was met with criticism from some bereaved and survivors who expressed their upset and shock, saying they felt they had not had their views considered before the decision was taken.

The Grenfell Tower Memorial Commission has been consulting on plans for a permanent memorial in the area of the tower, with the Design team Freehaus chosen last year to create a memorial with bereaved and survivor families, as well as the local community.

An MHCLG spokesperson said: ‘As we approach the ninth anniversary of the Grenfell Tower tragedy, our thoughts are with the bereaved, survivors and all those affected.

‘We remember the 72 people who lost their lives, and are committed to ensuring that what happened at the tower is not forgotten, and never happens again.’

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