Battle of Orgreave: Shocking footage of violence against striking miners revealed in new Channel 4 documentary

Unearthed footage of the violence meted out on striking miners at the Battle of Orgreave will be aired on television.

A new Channel 4 documentary - Miners' Strike 1984: The Battle for Britain - is a three-part feature exploring the titular mass walkout that shaped British history.

It will include an in-depth look at the Battle of Orgreave - the bloodiest day of the strike when miners and hundreds of officers from South Yorkshire Police and other forces clashed at a British Steel coking plant near Rotherham, South Yorkshire.

Officers on the day carried riot shields and batons, and were pictured bearing down on strikers on horseback. Protestors - who had been picketing the plant peacefully for weeks - were pictured afterwards covered in blood.

It was followed by the attempted prosecution of victims for rioting with the penalty of up to life in prison, as well as an alleged cover-up by senior staff.

The event led to a report by the IOPC watchdog in 2015 saying there was "evidence of excessive violence by police officers, a false narrative from police exaggerating violence by miners, perjury by officers giving evidence to prosecute the arrested men, and an apparent cover-up of that perjury by senior officers."

The documentary - which airs its first episode at 9pm on Thursday, January 25, on Channel 4 - viewers will hear from three miners who were on the picket line that day and not only suffered violence but faced riot charges carrying the maximum of a life sentence.

Arthur Critchlow, Stef Wysocki and Ernie Barber were acquitted in the 1980s when police evidence was deemed "unreliable," and now tell the events of the strike and the Battle of Orgreave changed their lives forever.

Ahead of the documentary's debut, South Yorkshire Police issued a statement saying it 'recognises public concern about the events at Orgreave'.

A spokesperson said: "It would not be appropriate for the South Yorkshire Police of today to seek to explain or defend the actions of the force in 1984 as very few, if any, of those present remain here today and the documentation we hold has not been assessed.

"We believe the appropriate process to determine exactly what occurred and why, would be an independent and objective assessment of these materials and any others available at the time."

It comes as hundreds of people are expected to attend a rally by the Orgreave Truth & Justice Campaign on June 18, 2024, on the 40th anniversary of the clash, where they will call for a public inquiry into police conduct.

Former Home Secretary Amber Rudd ruled out an inquiry despite repeat calls under Theresa May's government.

A total of 95 miners were arrested during the clash at Orgreave, and many were injured, although all charges they faced were later dropped.

Joe Rollin, the group's chairman, told the PA news agency: "We still believe there is overwhelming evidence for an inquiry.

"The government has stopped replying to our letters, even though we believe there is a link between what happened at Orgreave and the legislation brought in this year to restrict protests.

"For many the wounds of Orgreave are as fresh as if it was yesterday."