The death-toll is rising in the tragedy of the 24-story Grenfell Tower fire, which happened in London on the 14th of June, 2017. The towers were home to 600 people who lived in 120 flats, and while 30 have been confirmed dead, many more are missing, and the final death-toll is likely to be in the hundreds.

Comment:

We note that this fire appears to have been caused accidentally, but considers nevertheless that the blood of those who perished is on the hands of the government of the UK. In particular the following points are of concern:

• A great many of the tenants and victims were Muslims, and this tragedy occurred during the night in the month of Ramadan, and while many were holding all-night vigils they had been told to stay in their flats and wait for help in the event of fire. Help never came, and those who listened to the faulty advice are now ashes in their burnt-out flats.
• Those who did escape the flames that swept through the towers in minutes stood side by side helping each other. Muslims and non-Muslims assisted each other to escape the flames, and many residents claim that if it wasn’t for Ramadan they wouldn’t have escaped, as it was their Muslim neighbours who raised the alarm that night. This contradicts the false government narrative that accuses Muslims and their values of being an evil threat to humanity.
• The fire alarms could not be heard in the flats, there was no sprinkler system, rubbish was accumulating in the lobbies of the badly managed tower, and the recent refurbishment of the building used flammable materials that caused the flames to engulf the building so quickly that the brave fire service personnel were quickly overwhelmed by smoke and flames.
• Slow provision of relief by the government to the homeless is inexcusable, and adds insult to injury. Despite government promises of money for the cameras, the homeless residents have been left confused and even the huge support that came from the local community and mosques, temples and churches has not been effectively directed to those who need it. The government has failed to organize timely disaster relief, as it failed the poor by condemning them to live in danger.

We believe that the role of government is to protect the people and enable rich and poor to share fairly in the wealth of the nation. The UK government has not lived up to its obligations.

Dr. Abdullah Robin