Calls for Public Inquiry Resurface on 50th Anniversary of Birmingham Pub Bombings

Families of the 21 victims demand answers and justice for the 1974 attacks, still unsolved after half a century.

On November 21, 1974, bombs exploded in two Birmingham pubs, killing 21 people and injuring 220 in an attack attributed to the Provisional IRA.
Families of the victims gathered at a memorial in Birmingham to honor the lives lost and renew their demand for a statutory public inquiry.
Relatives argue that a public inquiry is essential to uncover withheld evidence and hold perpetrators accountable, as no one has been convicted since the wrongful imprisonment of the Birmingham Six.
The 2019 inquest ruled that a botched IRA warning contributed to the tragedy, but families criticized it as inadequate and are pushing for access to documents under a 75-year secrecy order.
The campaign for justice continues, with families emphasizing the enduring trauma and the need for government action to resolve what is considered England's largest unsolved mass murder of the 20th century.