Thread by @PavSingh84

The murder of teacher, Blair Peach – a 🧵
 
Blair Peach was born in New Zealand. In 1969, and moved to the UK with his partner, Celia. Peach taught at the Phoenix School in Bow in East London, a school for young children with special needs. #Defiance

While at the Phoenix School, he was active in the teachers’ union, the National Union of Teachers (NUT) and was elected President of the East London Teachers’ Association. He was also a member of the Trotskyite Socialist Workers Party (SWP).

He was also active in the broad mass movement, the Anti-Nazi League (ANL) which was created by the SWP and parts of the Labour Party to campaign hard against the rising far right National Front party.

Peach was enraged by the racism he saw around him. In 1974, he challenged a pub landlord who refused to serve black customers , the Railway Tavern in Grove Road, Bow. Undeterred by the publican’s no blacks bar, he persuaded teachers to picket the pub and was arrested for doing so

At 10am on 23 April 1979, Peach put his yellow ANL badge on his blue-green duffle coat lapel, left his house and drove to his friend and fellow SWP member, Jo Lang’s home. Along with other teacher, they drove to Southall to protest against the NF meeting.

Two Special Patrol Group (SPG) vans arrived at speed from the Hayes end of the Broadway. When they reached the end of Beechcraft, one stopped in the entrance to Northcote Avenue and the other in the middle of the road. Some officers got out with truncheons drawn.

Two SPG officers immediately got out to confront the protesters. There were 7 officers in the van in total - Officer E, Officer H, Officer G, Officer I, Officer J and Officer F, and I (Source the Cass report).

A witness saw Blair Peach being attacked by police who came out of the van, one of the policemen held him by his shirt, while the other the policeman hit him with his truncheon on the left side of his head twice. A third officer hit him with his shield on the head. He collapsed.

A Sikh man wearing a black turban carried Blair into his house at 71 Ochard Avenue. He was subsequently taken to Ealing hospital where surgery is performed. His partner, Celia Stubbs got a phone call saying he had been hit and was in hospital. She immediately jumped into a taxi.

Blair Peach was pronounced dead, at 12.10am. The cause of death: extradural haemorrhage due to fracture of the skull.

Blair Peach’s funeral – 13 June 1976.
 
At Blair Peach funeral, his open casket was displayed at Dominion Cinema. Thousands of people came to pay their homage. Many of them, with their fists raised shouted in Punjabi ‘Blair Peach zindabad’ (long live Blair Peach).

The community regarded Peach as one of their own and bestowed on him the status of a martyr.

A poster with Gurmukhi (Punjabi) text refers to Shaheed Blair Peach.
@PritpalKD

The inscription on his grave in East London read:

‘Let them remember for all time this man as their brother and their friend.’
William Morris.

The Inquiry into Blair Peach’s death was led by Commander John Cass. During his investigation, the Special Patrol Group (SPG) officer’s lockers were raided. Illegal truncheons, knives, crowbars and a metal cosh were found. One officer was caught with a collection of Nazi regalia.

In his report Commander Cass stated Peach was ‘almost certainly’ killed by the police and recommended criminal proceedings against three SPG officers for obstructing the police investigation and perverting the course of justice. Photo: @PritpalKD

The Coroner, leading the subsequent inquest refused to share the Cass report with the jury into Blair Peach’s death and it was only made public in 2010.
 
To date, no person has been convicted for the murder of Blair Peach.