On 18 January 1981, fourteen young people died in a fire which broke out at a house party in New Cross, south east London. In the immediate aftermath there was much speculation that racists were responsible for the fire, as many of the victims were African British. After more than 20 years, the cause of the fire remains a mystery. In May 2004, an open verdict was recorded and a bid to challenge the verdict of this inquest was rejected in March 2005 despite forensic scientists stating that they fire was "most probably started deliberately". At the time of the incident, thousands turned out to demonstrate their anger at the institutional and media indifference to the young African Britons who died in the fire.         New Cross Demonstration