RICKY Tomlinson will be speaking at the University of Liverpool about the campaign to clear the names of the Shrewsbury 24 who were arrested following the first ever national building workers strike in Shrewsbury in 1972.

The actor was one of the Shrewsbury 24 and went to prison for 16 months for his involvement in the dispute. He is now spearheading the campaign to clear their names and have their cases overturned. 

He said:  “The Government are continuing to withhold documents from the Shrewsbury trials in 1973.  I believe they were instrumental in bringing the prosecutions against us and are now using the Freedom of Information Act to cover it up.” 

Ricky Tomlinson Shresbury 24Ricky Tomlinson Shresbury 24

Eileen Turnbull, from the University and campaign researcher for the Shrewsbury 24 (pictured, top) said:  “ I have researched what happened to the Shrewsbury pickets  during the 1972 building workers strike and the trials in 1973.  Documents I have discovered show clearly there was government intervention on both occasions. This evidence has been lodged with the Criminal Cases Review Commission.” 

The lecture is part of the Social Justice Seminar Series run by the Department of Sociology.  

*Ricky Tomlinson speaks,  Wednesday, 20 March at 5.30pm (doors open 5pm)  in the Hearnshaw Lecture Theatre, the Eleanor Rathbone Building at the University of Liverpool.

Further reading here and here