7 thoughts on “Twenty Seven Years

    • Yes it is. And finally, finally, after twenty seven years of stubborn, relentless campaigning by the family of the victims they now have the justice they sought. The sad part is that some of the campaigners and family members are no longer around to see the day that they were certain would arrive.

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  1. Wow, thanks for the reminder, Andy. I remember reading about this terrible disaster the following day, in the newspapers in South Africa. I was working with some British actors at the time and everyone was horrified that such a thing had happened back home. I guess none of us ever knew the real story, but what touched us was the terrible loss of life and the brave individuals we heard about who had managed to help some of the victims and get them over the fence onto the pitch.

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    • I remember watching it all unfold on tv. I had the house to myself as my parents were out watching my brother play football. There have been some harrowing and heartbreaking stories. The families campaigned tirelessly, every year the whole of Liverpool (and the wider footballing community) came together to mark the anniversary.
      Now they finally have justice, there will be more to come: criminal cases, civil cases, people held accountable. There is criticism today about the Sun newspaper. When the tragedy happened, their front page was full of lurid allegations that turned out to be lies: the fans were drunk and to blame, they forced their way in causing the disaster, they pick-pocketed the dead, urinated on brave policemen, beat one who was trying to save the life of a fan. It seems they run with this after being given the information straight from the top of the police force. As a result the whole of Merseyside boycotted the newspaper-to this day you cannot but The Sun in Liverpool. Today, as every newspaper carries the result of the inquiry on page one, The Sun has trivia, the inquiry hidden somewhere inside. It hasn’t gone down well.
      As for the aftermath, not long after Hillsborough there was another disaster at Bradford, where a stand caught fire and over fifty football fans were killed.
      Today, when I go to watch my local team play, the stadiums are all transformed from what they were in the pre-Hillsborough days. The stadiums are now all-seating, and the fences that used to surround the pitches are now gone.

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