
<p>Former United Kingdom Prime Minister Theresa May disclosed a minister hid in a closet to avoid seeing <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/police-apologize-for-hillsborough-disaster-and-admit-negligence-20230201-WST-417979.html">Hillsborough Disaster</a> victims’ relatives.</p>



<p>The former prime minister declined to identify the politician. Yet, she did imply that the encounter occurred within the context of Whitehall’s unwillingness to ‘rake over the past’ by reopening the investigation into the 1989 disaster.</p>



<h5>Police failures revealed in 2012</h5>



<p>May was home secretary from 2010 to 2016 before becoming prime minister. She spoke publicly about her efforts to preserve the Hillsborough Independent Panel’s mandate. The previous Labour administration established it to provide the ‘whole narrative’ of the accident. On April 15, 1989, 97 people died in a human crush.</p>



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<p>The panel’s findings in 2012 overturned the initial inquests’ accidental death convictions from 1991. The 2012 panel found police failures at fault for the deaths and the hundreds of injuries. In the House of Commons, then-Prime Minister David Cameron publicly apologized for the government’s missteps. He also lamented subsequent efforts to place responsibility for the disaster on Liverpool fans.</p>



<h2>What did Theresa May say about the Hillsborough Disaster?</h2>



<p>Also, May claims in-person family visits inspired her to keep working to get the inquest’s findings reversed. </p>



<p>In an interview with <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-66815922" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">BBC Radio Merseyside</a>, May said some colleagues did not look forward to meeting mourning families. In her words, a high-ranking minister “hid in a cupboard” rather than show up. </p>



<p>“There was just a sense of ‘why should we do this, this has been going on for so long, let’s just close the door on it.’ There was, I’m told, but this is third or fourth hand, one secretary of state who hid in a cupboard rather than meet the families,” May disclosed.</p>



<p>The minister has remained anonymous. The mother of one of the teenagers killed in the disaster labeled that person “a disgrace.”</p>



<p><em>PHOTO: IMAGO / Action Plus</em></p>


Prominent UK minister hid in closet to avoid Hillsborough families

Former UK PM, Theresa May has disclosed that one minister hid away rather than meet with grieving families of the Hillsborough disaster.


<p>British police have i<a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/flashback-the-hillsborough-disaster-and-the-fall-of-steven-cohen-20140414-CMS-98673.html">ssued an apology for their role in the 1989 Hillsborough Disaster</a> that resulted in the tragic death of 97 soccer fans. It’s the first time that police have apologized for the disaster and how families of the victims have been treated. The apology comes six years after a 2017 report headed by James Jones documented poor police response to the tragedy. Jones also previously worked on a 2012 report that revealed police irresponsibility during the incident. </p>



<p>A total of 97 people were killed and over 700 fans were injured during the horrific incident. The disaster took place prior to an <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/fa-cup-tv-schedule/">FA Cup</a> semi-final match between <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/teams/liverpool-tv-schedule/">Liverpool</a> and Nottingham Forest. Despite early suggestions that hooliganism was to blame for the tragedy, area police had a direct involvement in the incident.</p>



<p>David Duckenfield, the policeman in charge during the game, wrongly ordered a gate to be opened in an attempt to ease overcrowding. The move, however, proved to be fatal as hundreds of people were crushed in the process. Match officials obviously abandoned the match and it was replayed at a different location.</p>



<p>However, Duckenfield and his police colleagues blamed the Liverpool fans for the disaster in order to divert the blame from themselves.</p>



<h2>Police exec admits to failing victims and their families</h2>



<p>Chief executive of the College of Policing Andy Marsh issued an apologetic statement regarding the situation. “Policing has profoundly failed those bereaved by the Hillsborough disaster over many years and we are sorry that the service got it so wrong,” <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2023/jan/31/police-chiefs-apologise-for-hillsborough-failures" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">said</a> Marsh.</p>



<p>“Police failures were the main cause of the tragedy and have continued to blight the lives of family members ever since. When leadership was most needed, the bereaved were often treated insensitively and the response lacked coordination and oversight.”</p>



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<h2>Police also making changes within system</h2>



<p>Marsh also claimed that changes will occur inside the policing system, including a new code of ethics. “The changes include all police forces in England and Wales signing up to a charter agreeing to acknowledge when mistakes have been made and not seek to defend the indefensible; a strengthened ethical policy which makes candor a key theme, and new guidance for specialist officers supporting families during a tragedy,” stated Marsh.</p>



<p>No one has ever been convicted in relation to the Hillsborough disaster. Duckenfield was previously charged with gross negligence manslaughter for his actions, but was acquitted in 2019.</p>



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<p><em>Photo: Imago</em></p>


British police have finally apologized for their role in the 1989 Hillsborough disaster. The apology is a response to a report from 2017.

Police apologize for Hillsborough Disaster, and admit negligence - World Soccer Talk

Police apologize for Hillsborough Disaster, and admit negligence

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<p>Liverpool (AFP) – Liverpool fans feared a repeat of the Hillsborough disaster during terrifying scenes that saw them funnelled into overcrowded corridors and met with tear gas by French police when trying to enter the Champions League final in Paris.</p>
<p>French authorities have tried to pin the blame for the chaos that saw kick-off to the Reds’ 1-0 loss to Real Madrid delayed by more than 30 minutes on “industrial-scale” fraud in fake tickets.</p>
<p>However, that account has been angrily rejected by dismayed supporters, who raised doubts over France’s ability to host upcoming major sporting events such as the Rugby World Cup and Olympic Games.</p>
<p>Liverpool fans contacted by AFP stressed the disarray caused by the lack of signage around the stadium guiding them to the right gates.</p>
<p>The lack of ticket checks on the stadium perimeter have also been blamed as eye-witnesses said many young locals joined the queues with thousands of Liverpool fans outside to try and force their way in.</p>
<p>Claims by the French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin that the action of police had “saved lives” has riled a fanbase that had to fight for justice for the 97 fans killed by a crush in the Hillsborough disaster in 1989.</p>
<p>“It took you back to Hillsborough if you were unfortunate enough to be at Hillsborough in 1989,” Ian Byrne, MP for Liverpool West Derby, told AFP. “Those sort of scenes really did flash back to that day.</p>
<p>“It was a complete lack of leadership or management, It was horrific.</p>
<p>“For a Champions League final, the blue riband event of football in Europe, to be policed in such a manner, to have crowd management in such a manner it was so wrong. It was unforgivable.”</p>
<p>UEFA initially pinned the blame for a delay to the game as fans “arriving late”.</p>
<p>But tens of thousands had been queueing for hours outside the ground, held up by bottlenecks caused by police on their approach to the Stade de France in the northern Paris suburb of Saint-Denis.</p>
<p>“This was not a fan problem, this was an organisational problem,” said Joe Blott, chair of Liverpool supporters’ group Spirit of Shankly. “This is a stadium that is no longer fit for purpose.”</p>
<p>Supporters were also reportedly targeted by muggers and pickpockets upon approach and exiting the stadium.</p>
<p>Metro Mayor of the Liverpool City Region Steve Rotheram said he had his phone and other possessions stolen.</p>
<p>“It was an absolute mess, people could have been seriously injured or even dead,” said Liverpool fan Willie Miller, who also compared the scenes to what he experienced at Hillsborough.</p>
<p>“All around the stadium there were groups of locals, who were armed with knives, looking for trouble. People were getting mugged, people were getting their watches stolen, money stolen, people were getting beat up.</p>
<p>“Now the French government are coming out and saying it is the fault of the Liverpool fans. How?”</p>
<p>UEFA is also in the firing line from supporters for the lack of organisation despite sky-high costs for fans. Face value ticket prices ranged from 70 to 690 euros.</p>
<p>France’s sports minister said on Monday that European football’s governing body will compensate the 2,700 ticket holders who were unable to access the ground.</p>
<p>“We want to see some accountability,” added John Gibbons of the Anfield Wrap, who had co-hosted live entertainment at the Liverpool fan zone earlier on the day of the final.</p>
<p>“They are not slow to charge you.”</p>
<p>Liverpool immediately called for an independent investigation into the security failings and are asking fans to submit evidence of the operational mismanagement of the event.</p>
<p>Byrne added that he has pressed senior figures within the British government to demand answers from their French counterparts.</p>
<p>“You’ve got some upcoming major events such as the Rugby World Cup and the Olympics in the same stadium,” said Byrne.</p>
<p>“If they don’t learn the lessons, how do they ensure that no sporting fan ever goes through what we did on Saturday?”</p><p></p>


Liverpool fans haunted by Hillsborough memories during Paris ordeal - World Soccer Talk

Liverpool fans haunted by Hillsborough memories during Paris ordeal

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<p>London (AFP) – Liverpool have banned The Sun’s reporters from their stadium and training ground over the tabloid’s coverage of the 1989 Hillsborough disaster, a source familiar with the matter confirmed to AFP on Friday.</p>
<p>Liverpool fans have boycotted the paper ever since it published damaging and subsequently discredited front-page allegations four days after the tragedy, in which 96 of the club’s supporters were crushed to death.</p>
<p>The decision is understood to have been taken now following talks between the club’s American owners Fenway Sports Group and victims’ families.</p>
<p>Margaret Aspinall, whose son James died at Hillsborough, was said to be “pleased” about the decision on the Twitter page of the Hillsborough Family Support Group.</p>
<p>“I don’t want to give that scum any further publicity so have no other comment,” she was quoted as saying.</p>
<p>Liverpool declined to comment publicly on the matter after reports appeared on the websites of several British newspapers.</p>
<p>The deadly crush at Sheffield Wednesday’s Hillsborough stadium occurred during an FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest in April 1989.</p>
<p>In an article headlined ‘THE TRUTH’, The Sun claimed Liverpool supporters had attacked police officers tending to stricken fans and stolen from dead bodies.</p>
<p>A report into the disaster in September 2012 revealed the claims were false and part of a police cover-up, drawing an apology from The Sun.</p>
<p>Fresh inquests into the deaths last year concluded the 96 victims were unlawfully killed.</p>
<p>Famed for its bawdy humour and provocative front pages, The Sun is Britain’s best-selling daily with a circulation of around 1.7 million.</p>
<p>In a statement on Friday, the centre-right paper said banning its journalists was “bad for fans and bad for football”.</p>
<p>It added: “The Sun deeply regrets its reporting of the tragic events at Hillsborough and understands the damage caused by those reports is still felt by many in the city.</p>
<p>“A new generation of journalists on the paper congratulate the families on the hard-fought victory they have achieved through the inquest.</p>
<p>“It is to their credit that the truth has emerged and, whilst we can’t undo the damage done, we would like to further a dialogue with the city and to show that the paper has respect for the people of Liverpool.”</p><p></p>


Liverpool football ban The Sun over Hillsborough coverage - World Soccer Talk

Liverpool football ban The Sun over Hillsborough coverage

<div id="attachment_168702" style="width: 778px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/liverpool-hillsborough.jpg"><div><figure class="image"></figure></div></a><p id="caption-attachment-168702" class="wp-caption-text">Photo credit: AFP</p></div>
<p>Thousands of sympathizers were expected to pay an emotional tribute to the Hillsborough disaster victims on Wednesday after a landmark inquest found that 96 Liverpool football fans were unlawfully killed.</p>
<p>The day after the biggest inquest in English legal history determined police blunders caused the fatal 1989 stadium crush, the city of Liverpool was due to come together to reflect on the relatives’ arduous 27-year campaign for justice.</p>
<p>The two-year inquest delivered the answer families waited a quarter-century to hear after an original inquest, since quashed in the light of fresh evidence, recorded a verdict of accidental death.</p>
<p>Wednesday’s event will also be a chance to consider where the families’ struggle goes next, with some campaigners insisting prosecutions must now follow over Britain’s worst stadium disaster.</p>
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<p>The commemoration outside St. George’s Hall in Liverpool, northwest England, in the presence of the victims’ families, will be filled with music, speeches and moments of reflection.</p>
<p>The names and ages of the dead were to be displayed on big screens. Some 38 of the victims were between 10 and 19.</p>
<p>The event will conclude with a choir leading the throng through the Liverpool Football Club anthem “You’ll Never Walk Alone”.</p>
<p>The commemoration “is an opportunity for the city to come together with the families and campaigners and show the world the overwhelming spirit of comradeship and solidarity that exists in this city towards them”, said Liverpool Mayor Joe Anderson, who will lead the event.</p>
<p>“So many people have been touched by their struggle over nearly three decades.</p>
<p>“They are an example to everyone who seeks out truth and justice.”</p>
<p><strong>– Liverpool fans exonerated –</strong></p>
<p>Families of the deceased voiced their relief that the jury exonerated Liverpool fans from blame, after examining all the evidence.</p>
<p>The inquests heard testimony that the local police force had decided to blame drunken, ticketless Liverpool fans for the disaster.</p>
<p>Such claims were published in several newspapers at the time.</p>
<p>But the behavior of Liverpool fans was found in no way to have contributed to the crush outside the ground which led to police opening the gates to alleviate it.</p>
<p>Jurors were asked: “Was there any behavior on the part of football supporters which may have caused or contributed to the dangerous situation at the Leppings Lane turnstiles?”</p>
<p><strong>FLASHBACK: </strong><a href="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/2009/04/20/steven-cohen-blames-liverpool-fans-for-hillsborough-disaster/">Steven Cohen blames Liverpool fans for Hillsborough Disaster</a></p>
<p>They answered with a simple “no”.</p>
<p>Home Secretary Theresa May, the interior minister, was to set out the government’s full response to the inquest’s findings in parliament on Wednesday.</p>
<p>English inquests only establish how the deceased came by their deaths.</p>
<p>Now there is set to be a particular focus on the role of David Duckenfield, the senior officer in charge of policing Hillsborough on the day of the disaster.</p>
<p>It was Duckenfield who ordered the opening of an exit gate. That enabled 2,000 fans to surge into the already over-full terracing pens behind one of the goals, causing a fatal crush.</p>
<p>Duckenfield, now 71 and retired, admitted at the inquest he told a “terrible lie” in the immediate aftermath of the match by claiming that fans had stormed the gate.</p>
<p><strong>SEE MORE: </strong><a href="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/2006/12/09/the-truth-about-the-hillsborough-disaster/">The truth about the Hillsborough Disaster</a></p>
<p>Following Wednesday’s mass event and media analysis of the inquest’s outcome, attention is likely to shift towards two huge criminal investigations into the disaster, which should conclude by the end of the year.</p>
<p>A police probe is looking at the lead-up to the tragedy and the day of the match itself.</p>
<p>A separate inquiry, the biggest in the police watchdog’s history, is looking at the alleged cover-up attempt afterwards.</p>
<p>That probe has seized 7,000 exhibits including 167 floppy disks which required investigators to buy a 1980s computer.</p>
<p>Some police officers’ pocketbooks were recovered from lofts and garden sheds. Some were covered in rodent droppings.</p>
<p>The police watchdog says it is considering 260 police accounts which appeared to have been amended in some way.</p>
<p>Any decision on charges afterwards could take prosecutors three to six months once the investigations conclude.</p>


Liverpool unites in city for Hillsborough tribute - World Soccer Talk

Liverpool unites in city for Hillsborough tribute

<div id="attachment_168631" style="width: 610px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/liverpool-fans-justice-for-96-banner.jpg"><div><figure class="image"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-168631" loading="lazy" src="https:\/\/ds-images.bolavip.com/news/image?src=https:\/\/images.worldsoccertalk.com/webp/WST_20160426_WST_168629_liverpool-fans-justice-for-96-banner-600x400.webp&amp;width=600&amp;height=400" alt="Photo credit: AFP" width="600" height="400" class="size-large wp-image-168631" srcset="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2016/04/liverpool-fans-justice-for-96-banner-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2016/04/liverpool-fans-justice-for-96-banner-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2016/04/liverpool-fans-justice-for-96-banner-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2016/04/liverpool-fans-justice-for-96-banner.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px"></figure></div></a><p id="caption-attachment-168631" class="wp-caption-text">Photo credit: AFP</p></div>
<p>The 96 Liverpool fans who died in Britain’s 1989 Hillsborough football stadium disaster were unlawfully killed, a jury found Tuesday following the longest-running inquest in English legal history.</p>
<p>After hearing more than two years of evidence, the jury also concluded that the behavior of Liverpool supporters on the day did not cause or contribute to Britain’s worst sports stadium tragedy.</p>
<p>The jury also found that there were errors in police planning for the match and on the day of the match which caused or contributed to the dangerous situation.</p>
<p>Relatives of the victims have fought a long campaign to get to the heart of what happened during the disaster.</p>
<p>Some emerged from the courtroom hugging and in tears.</p>
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<p>The jury has been sitting since March 2014 in a purpose-built courtroom in Warrington, northwest England, 15 miles outside Liverpool.</p>
<p>The disaster occurred on April 15, 1989 during an FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at Sheffield Wednesday’s Hillsborough stadium in northern England.</p>
<p>Seeking to alleviate a crush that had developed outside the ground at the Leppings Lane End shortly before kick-off, the police match commander opened an exit gate.</p>
<p>It enabled 2,000 fans to stream into the ground and they piled into the already over-full pens behind the goal at that end of the ground, causing a fatal crush.</p>
<p><strong>SEE MORE:</strong> <a href="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/2014/04/14/review-of-espns-explosive-hillsborough-documentary-will-air-on-espn-at-8pm-et-tuesday/">Review of ESPN’s explosive ‘Hillsborough’ documentary</a></p>
