By Danielle Aumord

Nabil Choucair, who lost six family members in the Grenfell fire in June 2017, describes Angel Rayner’s decision to demolish the tower as a “punch in the face”.

His mood is melancholy following the update. It’s been reported that Rayner’s words at last week’s meeting with bereaved and survivors provoked a collective gasp in the room, and she then found herself confronted by a torrent of questions by frustrated attendees.

“I wasn’t surprised at her announcement because I’ve known for some time that parts of the building are not safe but not all of the bereaved and survivors of the fire where aware of this. The families have been let down in every way,” says Choucair. “The tower shouldn’t be taken down because people still need to be prosecuted, this is just another way of allowing them to get away with murder.”

A number of bereaved persons and survivors confided to HQN that the lack of communication between themselves and the government provokes a sense of déjà vu, that they are once again being ignored.

“I didn’t find out about the meeting until this morning,” explains a bereaved relative of Mary Mendy and Khadija Saye, a mother and daughter who lived on the twentieth floor of the tower.

Grenfell Tower was home to 129 flats, spread over 24 stories, and attendees at the meeting with Rayner wanted to know how many impacted families or individuals were consulted with when it came to the decision for a demolition. It’s been reported that at one point, attendees were asked to show their hands to indicate if they had been directly consulted. Very few hands went up.

Allegations have been made that the minister of state didn’t consult with all the Grenfell support groups – and that her consultation was simply a tick-box exercise. Karim Musilhy, who lost his uncle, Hesham Rahman, said that she became “angry and flustered” when he challenged her on this.

The deputy PM has since responded in an interview with the BBC, refuting allegations that she became angry with members of the Grenfell community: “I certainly don’t feel like I was aggressive in that meeting and if anyone feels that way, then I would be sincerely upset about that. What I tried to do was take a really difficult meeting and try to make sure that those that were bereaved or survivors had that information before the decision was made public.”

Rayner said that she spoke to a number of the bereaved families about the demolition decision: “The reason why I wouldn’t give exact figures is because how many people are in one family, how many people are directly affected, next of kin, for example. There are lots of different complexities to people who were affected.

“I know that some people in that room felt that they hadn’t had the opportunity before then. But I listened to what they said, and my conclusion was still that there was not a possibility really for that tower to remain as it is going into the future. I tried to deliver that message as sensitively as I possibly could, knowing full well that it was going to be really upsetting for people to hear.”

The minster of state hosted another meeting for the wider community this week. It’s been reported that the meeting became very contentious and, as a consequence, was finished early. “There were three police vans outside and a lot of government security inside,” a local resident told HQN. “Some of the chairs of the local residents associations also demanded their own private meetings with governments officials, separate to the rest of the community.”

Local residents described the government decision to HQN as “another tsunami of trauma”.

Survivors, bereaved and local residents are now rallying together to support a counter campaign against the demolition of the tower.

Emma O’Connor, who escaped the fatal fire in a lift from the twentieth floor of the tower block, has launched a petition calling on the government to reconsider its decision. The petition demands that every Grenfell bereaved and survivor and every resident of Lancaster West estate and the ward where the tower remains, has the opportunity to have a say on the future of the tower and what a suitable memorial should look like.

“I’m deeply hurt that she wants to tear down a place where dozens of people, my friends and neighbours, died,” she says, shaking at the very thought of it. “The dead can’t speak for themselves. Essentially, the tower is a grave site, a coffin in the sky. No one’s trying to rip apart Kensal Green cemetery so why are they are they trying to tear down Grenfell?”

The disabled survivor’s petition has already amassed just over 15,000 signatures since its inception. “It’s crucial that we have a reminder of the consequences of deregulation and the loved ones that we’ve lost. My worry is that if Grenfell Tower is out of sight, it will definitely be out of mind for those responsible for the tragic deaths and that’s what we don’t want,” she adds.

“I want a part of the tower to become a standing memorial. I think that it should be taken down from the top part to the tenth floor, which I understand to be the most unstable part of the building. They could use the base to erect a metal framework with a tasteful green heart on the top.

“Ultimately Angela Rayner needs to consult with all of the Grenfell groups and the residents of the estate, where the tower still remains. Then she can say that she’s effectively consulted on the future of the tower and the Grenfell memorial.”