20th Anniversary - Hillsborough Disaster 1989

[Liverpool]

Has anyone seen the front page of today's Mirror?

JUSTICE FOR THE 96

...followed by an editorial which urges the Government to finally allow justice to prevail. I can't help but wonder if there's a thinly-veiled agenda behind this...what with their rivalry with The S*n, but maybe I'm just being cynical.

Inviting an MP to yesterday's service was a rotten idea in principle but it worked out in the end - with the raw outpouring of feeling that interrupted his speech proving a very powerful moment. Hopefully this is just the start.

Agree on the cynical side, could just to be to sell more papers on Merseyside.

That pour yesterday could have went on for a very long time, whoever chosen to bring the 96 balloons on the pitch so everyone decided to clap instead is a very clever man, I wish they never just to see what would happened.

[squaddie]

Most people here probably saw the service from Anfield. I was lucky enough to be there among 30000+ people.

Liverpudlians, Merseysiders and people from farther afield. I was in Birmingham with work today so drove North on the M6 around 12.00, I was driving wondering why there were literally hundreds of people in cars with Liverpool shirts on, then of course I realised. I got in to the KOP at around 2pm and watched as the 3 other stands filled up.

Then of course things started, Abide with Me, not our hymn, but a stirring moving piece of music, sung superbly.

Choirs of Angels, the bells, the names, all moving, simply moving. The MP's speech, clearly I dont agree with heckling him, but I think it was to be expected.

The silence, impeccable, what else.

The Kings' address, a religious passage, but we all know our religion.

Trevor Hicks..............I have 2 Daughters, how can this man cope with losing both of his at a football match? How can he cope? How can he cope?

Then our Hymn's, Fields of Anfield Road and Youll Never Walk Alone.

Absolute heartfelt anthems. The latter could have been written for the occasion.

Whatever happens, whatever goes between now and your last day, whatever troubles you have, whatever problems you have.

Remember the 96.

Remember their families and remember they have had to live hollow for 20 years wondering what might have been, what their son or daughter would have made of their lives? I really cant comprehend it. I just cant. Reading the lies, seeing the cover ups and the 'fixed' evidence unable to do anything about it, knowing the lies told about their passed on loved ones whose 'crime' which clearly isnt one, was going to a football match.

Remember, thats it, they left that morning as I do 40 or 50 times a year to watch my team and they never returned, they never came home, for that we must never forget them.

While the families want justice we all must want justice, its their sole decision.
While the families want seated stadiums we must want seated stadiums, its down to them.

Good post mate.

How was getting in for everyone? Was a bit of a rush around for me and quite a few other people.

[Tee]

Most people here probably saw the service from Anfield. I was lucky enough to be there among 30000+ people.

Liverpudlians, Merseysiders and people from farther afield. I was in Birmingham with work today so drove North on the M6 around 12.00, I was driving wondering why there were literally hundreds of people in cars with Liverpool shirts on, then of course I realised. I got in to the KOP at around 2pm and watched as the 3 other stands filled up.

Then of course things started, Abide with Me, not our hymn, but a stirring moving piece of music, sung superbly.

Choirs of Angels, the bells, the names, all moving, simply moving. The MP's speech, clearly I dont agree with heckling him, but I think it was to be expected.

The silence, impeccable, what else.

The Kings' address, a religious passage, but we all know our religion.

Trevor Hicks..............I have 2 Daughters, how can this man cope with losing both of his at a football match? How can he cope? How can he cope?

Then our Hymn's, Fields of Anfield Road and Youll Never Walk Alone.

Absolute heartfelt anthems. The latter could have been written for the occasion.

Whatever happens, whatever goes between now and your last day, whatever troubles you have, whatever problems you have.

Remember the 96.

Remember their families and remember they have had to live hollow for 20 years wondering what might have been, what their son or daughter would have made of their lives? I really cant comprehend it. I just cant. Reading the lies, seeing the cover ups and the 'fixed' evidence unable to do anything about it, knowing the lies told about their passed on loved ones whose 'crime' which clearly isnt one, was going to a football match.

Remember, thats it, they left that morning as I do 40 or 50 times a year to watch my team and they never returned, they never came home, for that we must never forget them.

While the families want justice we all must want justice, its their sole decision.
While the families want seated stadiums we must want seated stadiums, its down to them.

[BFG]

Thommo - Never Forget

Nice to see fans from different clubs showing their respect at the end of the piece.

http://www.skysports.com/opinion/story/0,25212,12931_5190404,00.html

When the whistle went at 3.06pm to call the game off, not in my worst nightmares could I have foreseen what was about to unfold. We all had to go back into the changing room and Kenny Dalglish asked me to find out what was going on. When I came back out, it quickly became clear that things weren't right.

Fans were stood in the areas near the dressing room saying "Thommo, there's people dying out there". I spoke to policemen and to the referee and they told me something serious was happening.

I went back to the dressing room and whispered in Kenny Dalglish's ear that I didn't think the game would go ahead. I told him there were reports of people dying, but I didn't know how true it was.

Soon afterwards the numbers started building up. Two people died, then it was five, soon it was 10. By the time we got up to meet our families in the players' lounge it was up to about 20.

As we got on the coach to drive across to Liverpool the tally was just rising. It was horrific and we sat in silence all the way back to Merseyside.

Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini don't use the phrase 'football family' in the right way; what we saw in the days after Hillsborough was the true definition a football family coming together.

People came from all over the country to lay flowers, scarves and flags - and the brothers and sisters of the football community grieved at that time. In the immediate aftermath, a lot of football fans looked at it and thought "that could have been me". It touched everybody.

Ninety-six football fans died that day. Yes, these were supporters of Liverpool Football Club, but more importantly they were brothers and sisters of football fans around the world.

And even more importantly that day was a watershed day in English football.

Perhaps the generation of football supporter that has grown up in the last 20 years might not understand what that day stood for, but as I said at the time, we needed to change the way football fans were perceived. We had to ensure those lives were not lost for a punitive reason, there had to be a change of massive proportions.

The Taylor Report changed the course of English football. Nowadays people can go to a football match without having to run a gauntlet of hate on the way in.

No longer are people herded onto trains and coaches like animals. No longer are football supporters treated like second-class citizens.

They can sit in a seat; they can get out and go to the toilet when they want to; they can eat decent food in decent areas.

Nowadays when you go to Stoke City or when you go to Leicester City, you can sit in fantastic all-seater stadia. People demand better, people deserve better and because of Hillsborough a wide range of changes have been made.

People need to take a few seconds over the next 24 hours to think about why and how they are allowed to enjoy their football.

It's because of those 96 people who died in 1989 - simply because they wanted to follow their team.

I am deeply concerned that people are now calling for small enclosures at football grounds where they can stand. Even some Liverpool supporters, the people that suffered most 20 years ago, have called for standing areas.

Who's going to be held responsible if that change is made and somebody else falls and dies? Are these campaigners willing to take responsibility for that?

I strongly believe standing areas should never return. Football was damaged badly at Hillsborough and I don't want a single person, anywhere in the world, to ever die because of a crush at a football match.

At large grounds, and I'm talking about stadia with capacities between 25,000 and 80,000, there is simply no logic in having standing areas. People will argue that there would be more room - but people will still move and sway when corners are awarded and when goals are scored.

I don't want another tragedy to be on anybody's conscience.

The youngest victim of Hillsborough was 10-year-old Jon-Paul Gilhooley, a relative of Steven Gerrard. He should be a 30-year-old man today and he should be bringing his own children to watch his beloved Liverpool team.

I just feel so deeply for his mother and father, who must look at the calendar on April 15 and think how old he would have been.

He was just the youngest. There were husbands, wives, daughters and sons who lost their lives that day and it is an absolute travesty. Their friends and families are grieving, not just every April 15, but every day of their lives.

Still nobody has been brought to task over that. Still there is no explanation as to why this happened or who was to blame.

How many Prime Ministers have we had since that day? How many people at the top level of government can keep burying their heads? Why can't people in the government realise that 96 families have grieved enough and it's time to give them an answer.

We have to have apologies and it won't take a lot. I only hope Gordon Brown can be the person to put this to rest for the sake of the whole football community.

[EwarWoo]

http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/drilldown/N164059090418-0815.htm

MASCH: THESE PEOPLE ARE AMAZING

Javier Mascherano today paid tribute to the people of Liverpool for the way they honoured those who died at Hillsborough 20 years ago this week.
The Argentina captain was so struck by Wednesday's Memorial Service that he rang friends back home to tell them what he had witnessed.

"I have never seen anything like it in my life," Mascherano told Liverpoolfc.tv. "I spoke to some people in Argentina about it because it was amazing to see the stadium almost full for a memorial service. It would not happen at other clubs or in other countries.

"It's great the way the fans and the city came together. They still remember after 20 years the people who lost their lives.

"When I came here I didn't know what happened 20 years ago but living in the city and playing for Liverpool you hear all the stories. It was so sad."

Mascherano's first professional club, River Plate, endured their own stadium disaster in 1968 when 74 people died trying to escape a fire.

"In Argentina something similar happened many years ago at River Plate but they don't remember like Liverpool fans remember," added the 24-year-old.

[Leyton388]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/merseyside/8006744.stm

Secret files on the Hillsborough disaster could be made public 10 years early after a request from the home secretary.
Jacqui Smith has asked South Yorkshire Police to release the documents, which contain detailed evidence of what happened during the tragedy in 1989.
It could help families of the 96 victims who want a new inquiry.
Ms Smith has met South Yorkshire Chief Constable Meredydd Hughes to discuss the records.
Inquest ruling
The files contain evidence from the police, local council and the ambulance service. Documents like this are usually not made public for 30 years, but the home secretary has intervened two decades after the disaster.
Evidence was examined during the original inquest, in which the coroner ruled all victims had sustained their fatal injuries by 1515 BST, based on advice from pathologists.
As a result, he did not hear any evidence of what happened after that point - but many bereaved families believe their loved ones could have still been alive and they want a fresh inquiry.
Culture secretary Andy Burnham was heckled as campaigners shouted "Justice for the 96" at the Hillsborough memorial service on Wednesday.
Following the service, he called for "full disclosure" of all evidence on the Hillsborough disaster.


Hopefully Justice will be done soon!!!!

YNWA

[Phil]

Has anyone seen the front page of today's Mirror?

JUSTICE FOR THE 96

...followed by an editorial which urges the Government to finally allow justice to prevail. I can't help but wonder if there's a thinly-veiled agenda behind this...what with their rivalry with The S*n, but maybe I'm just being cynical.

Inviting an MP to yesterday's service was a rotten idea in principle but it worked out in the end - with the raw outpouring of feeling that interrupted his speech proving a very powerful moment. Hopefully this is just the start.

Looks like it might well have been given the news today. It really was a very powerful moment. It's hard to explain, but it really did feel like that message was getting across

[zimbo]

From today's Sunday Mirror. First time anyone has gone public on this, as far as I'm aware. Surely this is ample evidence to justify a new inquiry?

Hillsborough rescuer tells how police superiors forced her to lie about boy's death EXCLUSIVE by Kate Mansey 25/04/2009

Kevin died in my arms at 3.55. My police bosses made me lie it was 3.15


A Hillsborough policewoman has become the first officer to admit she was bullied into changing her statement in a huge police cover-up.

Special Constable Debra Martin made a statement telling how a Liverpool fan of 15 died in her arms at 3.55pm on the day of the tragedy, which claimed 96 lives.

But officers branded her a “liar” and forced her to change the time in her account to 3.15pm – to hide the fact he could have been saved.

Crucially, police have always claimed victims of the disaster died almost instantly in the crush that forced the FA Cup game’s end at 3.06pm.

They used that as the excuse for allowing only one of 45 ambulances on to the pitch to help victims. And the coroner Dr Stefan Popper brought in a “cut-off” point, ruling that all the victims were dead by 3.15pm.

But today Debra tells how at least one of the victims – teenager Kevin Williams – was still alive 40 minutes later. She said she gave Kevin mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and remembers how he looked up at her just before he died and murmured the word “Mum”.

Debra, 45, is the first member of South Yorkshire Police to go public with her revelations about cover-ups – and her evidence could prove vital in a new inquiry.


She told the Sunday Mirror: “The whole thing made me feel angry. These families deserve the truth after all these years.”

The dental nurse is believed to be among at least 12 officers ordered to change their initial statements.

She tells how she had four visits from senior officers who pressurised her into changing her statement. She also got hate mail at work.

Debra was in the Leppings Lane End when the crush began on April 15, 1989.

“It was bedlam,” she says. “There were injured, dying and dead people everywhere.”

One of those fighting for life was Liverpool fan Kevin Williams. Debra says: “Kevin was struggling to breathe. I gave him CPR (mouth-to-mouth). I’ll never forget his little face looking straight into mine. He uttered the word ‘Mum’ – it was his last and he died in my arms.” Debra became a problem for the police because her account didn’t tally with the official line. And soon a terrifying operation began to silence her.

Debra says: “We were all told not to talk to the Press, then a female officer and a man knocked at my door.

“The WPC told me my statement was wrong and she was there to change it as it was inconsistent with what had happened.”

Debra was determined not to alter her statement. “But when they came back a second and a third time, they were more insistent,” she says.

“The WPC said, ‘You’re a liar. We don’t even know if you were there. It’s probably all in your imagination’. I couldn’t believe it. Then I began getting hate mail at the police station.

“The final time the WPC hounded me at my house, they were adamant I had to change the time Kevin died. She put a new statement I hadn’t written under my nose – I couldn’t take it any more, so I signed it.” Debra’s revelations come as the Government prepares to make public all official documents relating to the disaster at Liverpool’s FA Cup semi-final with Nottingham Forest.

Chief Constable of South Yorkshire Police, Meredydd Hughes, said last week: “If I thought there was a cover-up, I’d already have dealt with it.”

But Debra remains distraught at the way families such as Kevin’s were denied the truth. She said: “Every year, the nightmares of what happened that day come back to the families. They have got to be told the truth – only then will those nightmares finally end.”

Last night Kevin’s mother Anne, 57, said: “I’ve been screaming for 20 years that my son could have been saved – he wasn’t dead at 3.15pm. The police just covered it all up.”

[email protected]

[EwarWoo]

Logic would say this woman must be making it up for the attention, no way in a modern civilized society would things like that happen, it's just not how we work, it's unstomachable.

But I think the revelations which have previously leaked out about the police handling of the whole mess mean it's all too likely to be true.

Disgust and revulsion doesn't come close.

[Leyton388]

Looks like it is all starting to come out. I think with the release of these files people are starting to fess up because they know what is coming.

[Joe King]

Cover up revealed in the Mirror

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2009/05/07/hillsborough-disaster-exclusive-we-discover-hillsborough-statements-censored-by-senior-police-officers-115875-21337982/