The ‘lack of justice’ in the five years since the Grenfell Tower disaster has been described as ‘torture’ by a man who lost a loved one in the tragedy.
After his uncle Hesham Rahman died in the fire, Karim Mussilhy, 36, believes the fight ‘gets harder and harder the longer it goes on.’
He alleges that he has been unable to grieve properly due to a lack of ‘accountability,’ and warns that ‘Grenfell Two might happen tomorrow.’
On Tuesday, the fifth anniversary of the disaster in which 72 people were killed in a west London flat block will be commemorated.
Father-of-two Karim, a member of the Grenfell United campaign group, says he never anticipated himself in this position so soon after the fire.
‘We are being tormented, this is torture.’ We are unable to progress. We are unable to mourn. We can’t rebuild, no matter how hard we try,’ he remarked.
‘It’s been quite aggravating that we’re still having to do what we’re doing today in order to see some progress.’
‘And if you really think about it, what has changed in five years in terms of the great picture and the grand scheme of things?’
‘Will there be another Grenfell tomorrow? Yes, it is possible. Is it safe for people if it does? They aren’t, no.
‘Do our firemen have the necessary equipment and training to save lives?’ They don’t, in fact. What have we accomplished? ‘What have we learned since the Grenfell Tower fire?’
‘It was absolute destruction, and how can you grow out of disaster?’ said Samia Badani, 47, who lives at Bramley House near the tower.
‘We are not asking for much – we are simply asking to be respected as human beings,’ she said, adding that she wouldn’t wish the destruction on anyone in the world.
The cladding on the building was a crucial element in the quick spread of the flames, according to the current Grenfell Tower Inquiry.
However, the Metropolitan Police will not hand over evidence to prosecutors until the investigation is done, which means no one has been charged nearly 2,000 days after the fire.
The government has now outlawed the sort of cladding that caused the fire to spread so quickly.
However, the new laws will only apply to new construction in the future, leaving many homeowners with large removal costs.
Government plans to preserve the controversial’stay put’ policy, rather than following an inquiry proposal, have also infuriated bereaved relatives.
This means that rather than fleeing, inhabitants of most buildings should wait for emergency rescue services.
The cost of implementing the proposal would not be ‘proportionate,’ and it would not be ‘practical’ or’safe,’ according to the Home Office.
Survivors, bereaved families, and community members, according to Mr Mussilhy, are adamant that their campaign will not be “kicked into the long grass.”
‘We’re fairly resilient and relentless, so we’ll keep going, we’ll keep pushing, we’ll keep fighting until some aspect of positivity and accountability emerges from this,’ he said.
‘Our fire reforms will go further than ever before to protect vulnerable people,’ a government official told Metro.co.uk. Those responsible for fire safety in higher-risk buildings would be required to adequately assess the needs of the most vulnerable and take steps to mitigate any risks under the Emergency Evacuation Information Sharing package we are consulting on.
‘While the vast majority of buildings are absolutely safe, we are committed to doing more to improve fire safety, which is why these historic reforms will ensure that mid- and high-rise buildings are appropriately assessed for fire risks.’