I spent most of Wednesday watching Liverpool FC TV, watching interviews with those who were at Hillsboruogh, and the family and friends of those who lost loved ones that day. The memorial service was lovely, the bravery of the likes of Trevor Hicks who lost two teenage daughters at Hillsborough. I always remember after Hillsborough a charity single was released and the video has the names of those who died running along the bottom, the names of Sarah and Victoria Hicks always stood out to me, partly because the were girls and it was still not that common for girls to go to football and partly because they were only a couple of year older than me. My thoughts are with the families of those who died at Hillsborough.
The other part of Wednesday I spent on several internet forums arguing with idiots who still peddle the lies that it was drunk, ticketless Liverpool fans who caused the crush at Hillsborough. Twenty years on and the families of those who died and those who survived have to suffer the indignity of being blamed for the tragedy. Even now some people still believe that Liverpool fans broke the gate open when the Taylor Report says it was opened on police orders. Survivors say the pens either side of the one where the crush happened were hardly used, because there was no proper stewarding to direct fans away from the overcrowded central pen. The thing that I still find most horrifying is the police reaction when people started to realise what was happening. Only one ambulance got in because the police were telling ambulances the couldn't go in as fans were fighting. But anyone could see there was no fighting, fans were helping each other try to survive. Police were ignoring cries for those trapped in those central pens, even trying to push some who had escaped back in. That one ambulance got in because after the police refused to let him in, he asked the chief ambulance officer who let him in. By that time some lower rank police officers were helping, others were ordered to form a line on the halfway line to prevent fighting between Liverpool and Forest fans! Unbelieveable. The Taylor Report says the reaction of the fans in helping each other, and making makeshift stretcher from advertising hoardings was 'magnificent'. When survivors were later questioned by police they were asked how much they'd had to drink, how much those who died had been drinking.
Then the cover up started 'Hillsborough: The Truth' claimed The Sun. They said fans had robbed the dead, fought with police trying to help and had urinated on the dead. It makes me feel sick that these lies were printed so god knows how those who'd lost someone, or those who had survived feel. Twenty years on and lies are still peddled by some.
The legal system has also failed these families. The coroner ruled that all fatal injuries had been received by 3:15 so no evidence was heard after this point but some families believe that their loved ones were still alive and had they received the proper medical treatment could have survived.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7998231.stm
No-one has ever been held accountable for Hillsborough. Not Sheffield Wednesday who's ground it was, not Sheffield City Council who knew the ground wasn't safe as they had refused to issue a safety certificate, not the FA who chose to host the semi-final or South Yorkshire police whose disorganisation outside led to the order to open the gates, they then didn't guide people to the side pens which had room, they then stopped ambulance getting, many didn't help the rescue effort. After the day CCTV was lost, notebooks lost, witness statements changed. And not one person was held accountable, the policeman in charge that day Supt David Duckinfield took early retirement and was given a full pension. Other officers were given compensation, though the families never have.
If you still think that drunk, ticketless Liverpool fans were to blame can I suggest you go here:
http://www.southyorks.police.uk/foi/publicationscheme/significantpublicinterest
Read the Taylor Report.
Justice for the 96.
