Red Lion Square Inquiry

The Red Lion Square Inquiry was established following the death of Kevin Gately, a 21-year-old student, during violent clashes between anti-fascist demonstrators and police at a National Front meeting in Conway Hall, Red Lion Square, London on 15 June 1974. Lord Justice Scarman was appointed to investigate the circumstances of the death and the events of that day. His report, published in February 1975, concluded that the violence constituted a riot in law and that police had acted within their powers. Scarman found that those who initiated disorder bore moral responsibility for its consequences. While the inquiry made no formal recommendations, Scarman noted in his report that the Race Relations Act required amendment. The inquiry's direct policy impact appears limited in the public record, with no specific legislation or institutional reforms directly attributed to its findings. Its primary significance lies in establishing Lord Justice Scarman's reputation as an authority on public order matters, leading to his appointment to chair the more influential Brixton Inquiry in 1981. The Red Lion Square report's analysis of the competing rights of protest and counter-protest is cited in academic literature as contributing to the development of public order law, particularly informing debates that preceded the Public Order Act 1986. The inquiry represents an early example of judicial investigation into confrontations between far-right groups, anti-fascist protesters, and police - tensions that would recur in subsequent decades.