REMEMBERING THE
NEW CROSS FIRE - 30 YEARS ON
Honouring the memory
and keeping the knowledge of this tragic event alive in our
minds.
Friday 14 January 2011, 7.30 pm sharp
@ The
Albany, Deptford
Featuring MENELIK SHABAZZ's
documentary Blood Ah Go Run and a second documentary from
the George Padmore Institute archive on the New Cross Fire,
this will be a night of remembrance and review. The evening
will close with live performances from the 'Queens of Lovers
Rock' JANET KAY and CARROLL THOMPSON.
The time of
this event is 7.30pm to 11pm.
TICKETS £10
CONCESSIONS
£7
AVAILABLE ONLINE FROM:
www.thealbany.org.uk
OR BY PHONE: 020 8692 4446
http://www.thealbany.org.uk/event_detail/602/Events/Remembering-the-New-Cross-Fire-30-Years-On
PROFESSOR GUS JOHN, author of Time to Tell - The Grenada
Massacre and After, organised and mobilised support for the
Black Peoples Day of Action from the North of England and
ALEX PASCALL OBE, through his radio show Black Londoners,
commented on the fire and helped to raise valuable funds for
the victims and their families.
HISTORY
The New Cross Fire killed 13 young black people during a
birthday party in a house in New Cross, southeast London on
Sunday January 18, 1981. The party was a joint birthday
celebration for Yvonne Ruddock and Angela Jackson and was
held at 439 New Cross Road, going on throughout the night.
There was a fairly high degree of racial tension in New
Cross, as it was well known that the far right group the
National Front were active in the area. It has been claimed
that there had been early complaints about noise from the
party leading the police to
deduce that the house had
been bombed either as a revenge attack or to stop the noise.
When arrests were not forthcoming, the black community
was shocked by the indifference of the white population, and
accused the London Metropolitan Police of covering up the
cause, which they suspected was an arson attack motivated by
racism. The protests arising out of the fire led to a
mobilisation of black political activity, but nobody has
ever been charged in relation to the fire and the Police now
claim that this was not an arson attack.
In addition
to the original 13, Anthony Berbeck died after falling from
the balcony of a block of council flats in South London on
July 9, 1983. He was at the party and became disturbed
following the death of his best friends.
Victims of
the New Cross Fire:
Andrew Gooding (18.02.1962 -
18.01.1981)
Owen Thompson (11.09.1964 - 18.01.1981)
Patricia Johnson (16.05.1965 - 18.01.1981)
Patrick
Cummings (21.09.1964 - 18.01.1981)
Steve Collins
(2.05.1963 - 18.01.1981)
Lloyd Hall (28.11.1960 -
18.01.1981)
Humphrey Geoffrey Brown (4.07.1962 -
18.01.1981)
Roseline Henry (23.09.1964 - 18.01.1981)
Peter Campbell (23.02.1962 - 18.01.1981)
Gerry Paul
Francis (21.08.1963 - 18.01.1981)
Glenton Powell
(18.01.1966 - 25.01.1981)
Paul Ruddock (19.11.1960 -
09.02.1981)
Yvonne Ruddock (17.01.1965 - 24.01.1981)
Anthony Berbeck (17.08.1962 - 09.07.1983)
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