Survivors have been marking the 27th anniversary of the IRA bombing near Canary Wharf with a vigil for the two men killed and 100 people injured.
They continue campaigning for compensation 27 years on — but now facing the prospect of a looming amnesty to the terrorists responsible.
Wreaths were laid at the spot in South Quay where a lorry packed with Semtex exploded, wrecking the Midland Bank tower.
The blast shattered a news kiosk where 29-year-old Inam Bashir and 31-year-old John Jefferies were killed.
Now the survivors take on a different fight against terrorism, to stop legislation for an amnesty while there’s deadlock for victims who haven’t received a penny.
“It has been 27 years since I lost my brother and his best pal,” Ihsan Bashir said at the vigil. “I still think of them every day and miss them immensely.
“An amnesty for terrorists who killed innocent people including children during the Northern Ireland Troubles is so wrong. Terrorism is a crime against humanity.”
Those maimed and injured in the Docklands atrocity in February 1996 were innocent office workers, shoppers in the street and people living on Millwall’s Barkantine Estate nearby which felt the full force of the explosion.
A wreath-laying was organised at South Quay DLR station by the Docklands Victims Association, which was set up by Midland Bank security guard Jonathan Ganesh, who led office workers to safety after the bombing — despite his own injuries.
He has been campaigning for two decades for the government to get compensation from Libya whose dictator Colonel Gaddafi supplied the IRA with arms and explosives.
He said: “We continue opposing any legislation for an amnesty to terrorists, whether loyalist or republican.
“That massive bomb left many with horrific life-changing injuries on the Barkantine estate.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here