The mothers of the five men who have become known as the suspects in the Stephen Lawrence murder case declared yesterday their sons were innocent.
The mothers of Gary Dobson, David Norris, brothers Neil and Jamie Acourt, and Luke Knight insisted their sons were not racists and complained that the five had been persecuted by the media.
The women maintained that if the five men's safety, and a fair hearing, could be guaranteed, they would be prepared to go into a witness box and give evidence in any libel action against the Daily Mail, which, in a 1997 front-page report, branded them "murderers".
The mothers - Pam Knight, Patricia Acourt, Pauline Dobson and Theresa Norris - made their comments in a joint interview with the BBC Radio 4 Today programme.
"They have got nothing to do with the murder of Stephen Lawrence," they told the programme.
The women made their remarks as the British government prepared to publish the report of an independent inquiry into the police investigation into Stephen Lawrence's murder. The report is expected to be highly critical of the Metropolitan Police.
Stephen (18) was stabbed to death by white youths in April 1993 in a racially-motivated attack as he waited for a bus in south-east London.
The Daily Mail said later it would welcome a libel suit from the so-called Lawrence Five. The newspaper said it would "welcome the opportunity to establish the truth in a court of law about this terrible crime and why Stephen's killers are still free".
In a separate development yesterday, Mr Duwayne Brooks, the man with Stephen when he was murdered, criticised the portrayal of black people in a drama-documentary about the crime.
The film was co-produced by Ms Yvette Vanson, wife of Mr Michael Mansfield QC, who represented the Lawrence family.
In a statement issued by his solicitor, Mr Brooks said: "Steve and I were made to look like ruffians, with the sort of street talk that we didn't use."