Grenfell United works with Anomaly on #GoGreenforGrenfell

Sunday marked three years since the Grenfell Tower tragedy, which saw 72 people lose their lives and over 70 left injured in what was the deadliest domestic blaze since World War II. Grenfell United, the group of survivors and bereaved families, yesterday evening asked communities across the UK to show their support by illuminating their homes in the bright green that has come to be associated with their campaign for justice.

In previous years, this show of support has taken the form of a silent walk, but the 2020 event was cancelled due to social distancing. So, the group worked with marketing agency Anomaly on a way for people to show their support while staying safely indoors. The team came up with the idea of a video that would illuminate homes in the powerful green colour.

“With all the restrictions came a certain clarity,” Conrad Swanston, creative at Anomaly, said in a statement. “What could we give the community to replace the beautiful ‘act’ of silently walking together in their thousands? Creating a film bright enough to illuminate a room green using their own TV or digital device felt a really powerful and visually striking way of getting thousands of people to unite from the safety of their own homes.”

At 10.30 last night, people across the country turned off their lights, opened their curtains, and turned on their screens to watch a short video on Youtube about Grenfell United’s mission. The video is dominated by a bright light that illuminated entire rooms, showing the outside world people’s support for survivors and bereaved families. Thousands of images from across the UK were then shared on social media, accompanied by the hashtag #GoGreenforGrenfell.

Karim Mussilhy, bereaved family member and vice chair of Grenfell United, said in a statement: “This is a visual reminder to those in charge that we are still here. Still waiting for justice, still demanding change. Although our traditional remembrance walk is in silence, the message was nonetheless loud and clear. This year, albeit during lockdown, the message is still loud, clear – and now vivid too.”

As the third anniversary of the fire came and went, survivors and relatives also expressed their anger and frustration at the lack of action from government. A public inquiry into the disaster was paused in March because of the Covid-19 pandemic (they are due to restart on 6 July), while Labour estimates that 56,000 people are still living in homes clad in the same flammable panels as Grenfell.

The video, created by Anomaly London in collaboration with production agency Unreasonable Studios London, also contained the message: “Tonight is the third anniversary of the Grenfell fire. Homes across the UK are going green for Grenfell. Your TV screen is about to go green. To take part, switch off your lights, open your curtains and let the green light shine through your window.” This was accompanied by 72 hearts, in memory of the loved ones who lost their lives in the fire.