Object 2 – Newspaper article
This newspaper article tells the story of a group of miners who were arrested on the picket lines. Brian, one of these men, told his story: “I was arrested at Coal House Doncaster on June 26th 1984. We were sent there to show solidarity with the striking men on the picket lines there, as the majority had continued to work. The police corralled the workers down an alley next to the police station and then allowed them to walk to the Coal House. As more pickets arrived, I was pushed into a line of police officers. I was dragged through the line with one police officer having me in a neck hold, another with my arm up my back. I was then kicked from behind and punched in the head by another policeman.
Along with 14 other picketers, I was arrested and charged with Unlawful Assembly. At a later court hearing, a charge of Riot was added, which carries a sentence of up to life imprisonment. Almost a year later, the trial took place at Sheffield Crown Court for 8 weeks. The jury found us all not guilty on both charges. The year of waiting was a terrible worry for me and my family”.