Last Monday ITV premiered the documentary Hillsborough: The Search for the Truth. The documentary casts new light on the Hillsborough disaster.
The programme showed that there is serious doubt about the actions of the police that day. Lord Howard, the former Home Secretary said that "if he were one of the families of the 96, he would feel seriously aggrieved". One of the key problems with finding the truth is the assertion by the coroner, Dr Stefan Popper at the initial inquest hearings that the injuries suffered by the 96 were irreversible by 3:15 pm, which by definition meant that there was no need to look into the actions of the emergencies services.
Yet, former ambulanceman Tony Edwards, gauged from his professional opinion, that some of the 96 may have been saved. His opinion is given support eye witness accounts leading up to the death of Kevin Williams. His mother, Ann, tracked down Deborah Martin, a former WPC on duty on the day who tried to save Kevin. Photographic evidence from that day categorically proves that Kevin was still alive after 3:15pm; he was pulled from the Leppings Lane End at 3:28 and is shown being carried away at 3:31pm. Former WPC Deborah Martin states that Kevin opened his eyes and asked of his mother and although he was gasping for breath she tried in vain to resuscitate Kevin. He passed away between 3:50pm and 4:00pm. The feeling of a cover-up has never being far from the surface and the fact that a professional person's word was not taken as read suggests that forces above and beyond WPC Martin were at work.
Speaking on the programme, Dr James Burns a forensic scientist at the Royal Hospital in Liverpool refutes the inquest findings from Dr Slater, which state that Kevin couldn't have spoken because of the fractures found in his neck. He states that given the necessary expertise he could possibly have survived given the length of time he lived without proper treatment and his injuries and the fractures which were found had nothing to do with the muscles used to speak.
For me, I am not a Liverpudlian, but a Liverpool supporter who loves Liverpool.
I remember watching Grandstand on that fateful day and watched the horrific events unfold, with Bob Wilson, expertly guiding us through, what at the start was not really knowing or understanding what we were viewing to the realisation that some Liverpool supporters, who had gone to a football match were not to return home to their loved ones.
At that point I was just a fan who was at home, yet to become a fully fledged supporter, but Lord knows I loved my club. I love this club so much, that I could not imagine ever contemplating supporting anyone else should Liverpool ever disappear. The club is a part of me and anything detrimental from the smallest word with regards the club is taken personally not just by me, but Liverpool supporters and fans alike.
I was born in the East End of London and I cannot explain how I feel and what I feel, but I do know that the Sun’s reports about drunken Liverpool fans being the primary cause of the deaths goes to the very core of every Liverpool fan and has been detrimental to finding out the real reasons behind the tragedy. I work in a Press Office and part of the job is to scan the papers for news reports. I've never read that paper no matter what the news report or even if a Liverpool player both past and present is quoted in there. So if I feel like this imagine the pain and the on going heartache of those who’ve lost family members and friends. Not possible right?
One can only imagine if someone you loved had been lost under circumstances such as those at Hillsborough and while you were waiting to find out the reasons a piece of tabloid sensationalism helped skew public perceptions, not just about what happened that day, but playing on stereotypical views of Liverpudlian’s as people. That is why public awareness of what really happened on that day on April 15 1989, is vitally important, even over 23 years later.
Jen, explains after the FA Cup Semi-Final why awareness is vitally important
The is not rhetoric and never has or will be. It’s based on the fact that 96 people lost their lives and the testimonies of family members (like Margaret Aspinall, Chairman of the Hillsborough Family Support Group, HFSG), friends and LFC supporters alike have refuted the spurious lies over the years which have gathered pace, and what should never be forgotten is the eye witness testimonies from those who were there and survived that horrific day. The Parliamentary debate in October 2011 which HFSG were at the forefront of for the release of Government Papers regarding the tragic event was a day when the families and friends found an assemblance of real awareness for what has been a uphill road in the most trying of circumstances.
Last season, whether I’d attended matches at Anfield or at Wembley at the Carling Cup or the FA Cup Semi-Final the emotive feeling has been there for all to see. The same fervent feeling which interrupted Andy Burnham’s speech at the memorial of the 20th anniversary at Anfield, will ensure that the damning lies will eventually prove to a nasty blot on history’s copybook.
The Rt Hon. Steve Rotheram stated at the debate that it is only when you read the names on the Anfield Memorial that you realise just how many people died on that day. He read out the names of all those who sadly passed away that day so the names and ages would be kept in perpetuity in Hansard. I timed how how long it took him to read out the names. Five minutes and seven seconds to read out the expunction of 96 lives.
Listening to Trevor Hicks, the Chairman of HSFG, before the debate his opening statement said it all, “we would love for the panel to name the person who leaked the scurrilous stories to the Sun.” Up until this point it seemed to those in authority that the truth was not something which mattered even though Taylor report said that the “Police fundamentally lost control of the situation.”
Are we supposed to surmise from that if over 140,000 people hadn’t put their names to a e-petition to force a debate that families and supporters voices would have been lost in the wilderness and that the Taylor report would’ve been filed away under unproven?
At the moment, I like many, many others have just gone through my paces as a volunteer for the Olympics and Paralympics. During my last bout of training, we learnt about crowd control. For example, if you look into a crowd and can see the chest, shoulders and head of people, then there is no flash point. But if can only see shoulders and heads then its too late to stop over crowding. Our crowd control trainer read out the transcripts of the chatter between the police and the fire brigade. The police requesting the attendance of the fire brigade and specialist equipment to brought to the ground. It was a shocking waste of time with the police not being precise in its directions and the fire brigade being pedantic in requesting the exact road of the football ground, while people were dying inside. Unbelievable.You don’t have to be an expert to realise that there were no checks and balances and something catastrophic went wrong that day with the police at fault which the Conservative M.P. The Rt. Hon. Chris Heaton-Harris MP reiterated at the debate. “…it was a complete breakdown in communication in the police…. actually Liverpool fans were magnificent on that day in the way they helped each other after the tragedy took place and it’s unbelievable the emergency services were so slow in responding and ambulances were kept outside the stadium. Hooliganism played no part whatsoever and police failure was the cause.”
The Sun’s lies caused and is still causing pain and has stood in the way of the truth even 23 years later. The paper was not alone in its lies. The Daily Mail, Daily Star and The Yorkshire Post were also culpable and helped perpetuate the falsehood. That is why it was so important that the full disclosure of Government papers was granted. This is the first rung on the ladder to begin destroying these myths and lies which have gathered pace over two decades and injected a poison into public perception and consciousness.
The fact that the Hillsborough Memorial Service is still going and is part reminder of the disgraceful co-ordinated lies both political and from the police means the battle is far from being won, but we will not be moved. And the Hillsborough Independent Panel's disclosure of thousands of documents will hopefully get us that step closer to not necessarily easing the pain, but allowing the families to have some assemblance of closure with the deaths of the love ones even under such trying circumstances.
JUSTICE FOR THE 96!
Justice For The 96
The sad thing in all this is the lack of awareness of the mistreatment of the fans on the day and then after the disaster the lack of an apology until 23 years later to the families of the dead.
ReplyDeleteThe documentary will have opened for people unaware and also reminded us LFC fans that are aware of the miscarriage of justice which now finally needs to be addresses properly.
I followed all the developments on Wednesday. I found it distressing and exteremly sad. I felt emotionally drained at the end of that day. Later on my mood turned to anger. Annoyed at the scurulous calaims made against our fans on that awful day. No wonder we have strived for justice all these years. Persistence in such a dignified manner. This is the beginning of righting so many wrongs.
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