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Ethiopian and Eritrean victims of Grenfell fire describe lack of justice as a ‘sharp knife’ to their grief

News24.01.242.30 PM by IH reporters

A group of Ethiopian and Eritrean bereaved and survivors of the Grenfell Tower fire have described the lack of progress in criminal justice as a “sharp knife to their grieving process”.

Paulos Tekle, who lost his five-year-old son in the Grenfell Tower fire, addressing the inquiry in 2018 (picture: Grenfell Tower Inquiry)

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Ethiopian and Eritrean victims of Grenfell fire describe lack of justice as a ‘sharp knife’ to their grief #UKhousing

A group of Ethiopian and Eritrean bereaved and survivors of the Grenfell Tower fire have described the lack of progress in criminal justice as a “sharp knife to their grieving process” #UKhousing

In a media statement released this morning, as several of their members spoke at the Grenfell Testimony Week event in central London, a statement for the group said: “The delay of justice and lack of transparency by the Metropolitan police, that the bereaved and survivors must witness, acts as a sharp knife to their grieving process.

“The same infantilising, ignoring and bureaucratic justice to the people, that lead to the initial fire, is the same behaviour we are witnessing from the Metropolitan police. [We] simply ask, why?”

The EthioEritrean Group is a collective of bereaved and survivors from Ethiopian and Eritrean ethnic backgrounds. Of more than 365 people directly affected by the blaze, the group is the second largest demographic.

Scotland Yard has interviewed more than 50 people under caution as part of Operation Northleigh, its investigation into the Grenfell Tower fire, which it has called one the “largest and most complex” in its history.

However, it said it will need to process the Grenfell Tower Inquiry report before bringing any charges. The report is unlikely to be published before the summer.

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This morning, the Grenfell Testimony Week – set up as a result of the resolution of more than 900 civil claims – heard from six members of the community, all of whom lost family members in the fire.

The testimony week process allows claimants who agreed to the civil settlement to speak directly to representatives from the 22 companies who were the defendants in the claim.

Some have sent legal representatives on their behalf, while Arconic – which made the highly combustible cladding used on the tower – refused to attend at all and has been given an empty space.

Paulos Tekle, father of five-year-old Isaac Paulos, who died after being separated from a group leaving their flat on the 18th floor late in the evening of the fire in 2017, spoke of the “agony” he has experienced following the death of his son.

Mr Tekle was carrying his youngest son, then three, while a firefighter and his neighbour were with Isaac. But the firefighter was not holding Isaac’s hand and the neighbour lost touch with him in the pitch dark stairwell.

“I’m torn with grief, not knowing what happened in the last minutes. How did he die, what was he thinking, did he call out for me or his mum? I will never know. Nobody came to the inquiry to let me know. No one has been able to give those answers… I have to live with this the rest of my life, not knowing. I want you to try to imagine what this feels like,” Mr Tekle said.

Earlier, Isaac’s mother, Genet Shawo, speaking through a translator, expressed anger with the fire brigade, which advised the family to stay put even though the fire was spreading out of control. A firefighter reached their flat at 2am, but told them to stay where they were and to cover the edges of the door with a towel, despite being told there were two children in the flat.

“By following the advice of those people who you think are there to protect you, I lost my loved one, my eldest son. I paid the price,” Ms Shawo said.

The room had been shown a video tribute to Isaac, which included interviews with his school friends. “He always let me play when I had no one to play with,” said one.

“I never got the chance to say goodbye; I never got the chance to say I miss you,” added another.

In its press statement, the community group said the fire service had “worsened the outcome of the fire” through their “protocol [of] blockading victims from leaving the building and instead instructing them to continue upstairs to their inevitable death”.

Hayelom Woldegabir – who lost his 12-year-old son Biruk Haftom and Biruk’s mother Berkti – also spoke and criticised the length of time the justice process is taking.

“My heart is being twisted over and over again thinking what will happen next. Every day when I see teenagers going to school, I think about [Biruk]. I lost everything. There is nothing,” he said.

Ibrahim Toukou – who lost his brother Mohamednur Tuccu, Mohamednur’s wife Amal Ahmedin and their three-year-old daughter Amaya Tuccu, as well as Amal’s cousin Amna Idris, who was visiting on the night of the fire and died in the blaze – also addressed the room.

He spoke of his anger that his and Mohamednur’s mother, who still lives in Eritrea, was not allowed to be part of the alternative dispute resolution process which resulted in the civil settlement.

He said he had received “bad advice” and criticised the process for not allowing her to be included: “My mum, like any mother and other people who lost someone, is entitled to receive and I want you to work on that.”

The group also called for the tower to stay standing, with Ms Shawo noting that it remains the final resting place of her son.

In its statement, the group said: “We, the EthioEritrean Group, affirm and petition to the [Grenfell Tower] Memorial Commission for the building to remain erect and unaltered to pay homage to those who are no longer with us following the tragedy. This small act of solidarity can have an immensely positive effect to the Grenfell bereaved and survival community.”

The group called for representation on the Grenfell Tower Memorial Commission, a group made up of bereaved, survivors and representatives of the local community, to make a decision on the future of the Grenfell Tower site.

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