a crime they did not commit , were released onto the streets outside the Old Bailey in London at 1605 GMT .
The police told us from the start they knew we hadn ' t done it
Paddy Hill
They were greeted by cheering crowds , as they punched their fists in the air and waved celebrating their first taste of freedom .
Richard McIlkenny was first to speak . " It ' s good to see you all ," he said . " We ' ve waited a long time for this - 16 years because of hypocrisy and brutality . But every dog has its day and we ' re going to have ours ."
Paddy Hill was next to step up to the microphone . " For 16 and a half years we have been used as political scapegoats ," he said .
" The police told us from the start they knew we hadn ' t done it . They didn ' t care who had done it ."
The six were arrested in 1974 . They had left Birmingham shortly before the bombs exploded in two city centre pubs in the bloodiest ever IRA attack .
The Mulberry Bush pub and the Tavern were both destroyed in the blasts . Twenty-one people were killed , more than 160 injured . The men claimed in court they had confessed only after being beaten by police .