15 april 1989 - You'll never walk alone

Triest.

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Op dinsdag 15 april 2003 10:20 schreef Geniuz_Nerd het volgende:
ik ben niet egt een voetbal fan, wat was er dan gebeurt?

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Op dinsdag 15 april 2003 10:22 schreef zjroentje het volgende:

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95 mensen doodgedrukt in het stadion van Sheffield Wednesday. Vak zat te vol, en de politie wilde de hekken niet opengooien. Verschrikkelijke beelden.

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Op dinsdag 15 april 2003 10:31 schreef Frenkie het volgende:
Weet iemand hoe die film/documentaire heet die daar over gaat..??

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Op dinsdag 15 april 2003 10:34 schreef zjroentje het volgende:

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Ten years on?

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Weet iemand al hoe die docu heet, heb die nog nooit gezien...

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Op dinsdag 15 april 2003 11:35 schreef dolle_hond het volgende:
was toch tegen Nottingham Forest

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En die docu heet volgens mij Ten Years On.

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Op dinsdag 15 april 2003 11:52 schreef planethugo het volgende:
verschrikkelijk wat daar gebeurd is toen
volgens mij was dit de aanleiding om de staanplaatsen te vervangen voor zitplaatsen toch , dat vind ik nog steeds een #&^%$& maatregel wat nergens op slaat

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Op dinsdag 15 april 2003 11:53 schreef zjroentje het volgende:

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Volgens mij zijn vanaf toen de hekken uit de Engelse stadions verbannen.

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Op dinsdag 15 april 2003 11:54 schreef Da_Sandman het volgende:

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En terecht. Dat van de stoeltjes weet ik eigenlijk niet... Is dat niet een UEFA regeling geweest?

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Die hekken hadden allang verwijderd moeten worden na het Heizeldrama in 1985. Dan was dit nooit gebeurd.

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Op dinsdag 15 april 2003 11:54 schreef Da_Sandman het volgende:

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En terecht. Dat van de stoeltjes weet ik eigenlijk niet... Is dat niet een UEFA regeling geweest?

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Op dinsdag 15 april 2003 12:03 schreef Gunner het volgende:
Op imdb.com kan ik alleen dit vinden... uit 1996 een docudrama

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Op dinsdag 15 april 2003 12:11 schreef Frenkie het volgende:

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volgens mij is dat hem.
Hij is een paar jaar geleden uitgezonden op Nederland 3.

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Maar zijn het nou 95 of 96 slachtoffers?

Wie kent de film waarin twee politieagenten infiltreren in de harde kern van de Shadwell Dogs? Ook een aantal jaar geleden op Nederland 3 geweest... Ben al een tijdje opzoek naar de film, wist ooit de titel maar dat is weer zoek...

[/offtopic]

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Op dinsdag 15 april 2003 12:18 schreef Gunner het volgende:

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Is het toevalliv I.D.

IMDB info

is ook op DVD verkrijgbaar zie ik

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I.D., nu noooooooooooooooit meer vergeten

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Op dinsdag 15 april 2003 12:24 schreef Da_Sandman het volgende:

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That's The One!!!

I.D., nu noooooooooooooooit meer vergeten

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Op dinsdag 15 april 2003 10:32 schreef zjroentje het volgende:
Het memorial monument bij Anfield

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Heb er veel over gelezen. Had ook eerder het idee gehad over Hillborough te posten. Zal (later?) wat stukjes er over hier plaatsen.

trouwens dat een Gooner en een Manc als eerste in dit topic posten.

Het waren trouwens 96 doden...

[Dit bericht is gewijzigd door Doc op 15-04-2003 12:57]

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Op dinsdag 15 april 2003 12:55 schreef Doc het volgende:

trouwens dat een Gooner en een Manc als eerste in dit topic posten.

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Sun newspaper boycott

Season 2002-03| Author: Editorial | Date: 13.4.2003

This Tuesday, April 15th, is the 14th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster and people across the country are being urged to boycott the Sun newspaper as the Hillsborough Justice Campaign (HJC) continue their fight for justice.

You will no doubt be aware of the events of 15th April 1989 when 96 innocent men, women and children lost their lives. Four days later the Sun newspaper ran an article under the banner headline The Truth and proceeded to make outrageous claims that the fans had robbed and urinated on the dead, as well as beating up police as they tried to carry out the rescue operation. These allegations have, of course, been proven to be lies. Far from being The Truth the banner headlines should have read The Lies.

The press complaints commission upheld complaints about the Suns coverage of the disaster and found them guilty of lying, yet following the damning verdict Rupert Murdoch still refused to publish an adequate apology for the coverage.

At Saturday's match with Fulham the HJC handed out 30,000 stickers and a minute's silence was held prior to kick off, all of which received no national coverage in the media. It is up to each and every Liverpool supporter to spread the word and continue the fight for justice.

Whilst the newspaper is boycotted by many Reds fans across the country, some do not know about the lies they printed and the national boycott, if you do not know the full facts use the links at the foot of this article to educate yourself and others - starting by boycotting the paper this Tuesday.

The HJC have designed an A4 size downloadable poster and an accompanying letter to any newsagents and are urging all Liverpool fans to pay their respects to the fellow fans who lost their lives by publicising the boycott.

Justice For The 96

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Season 2002-03| Author: Curly | Date: 11.3.2003

Being the editor of a Liverpool FC supporter's web site, I've written my opinions on all sorts of subjects regarding LFC. However, Hillsborough has always been something I've found it hard to write about, for several reasons. The primary reason being that I don't feel qualified to express my opinions on it. That might sound a bit silly, but for a start I was only a 4-year-old boy at the time whose love of Liverpool was only just beginning to blossom. Furthermore it hadn't begun like many through a generation of support handed down from grandfather to father to son but by a few posters of Barnes and Rush and glimpses of 'that brilliant red team' on the TV. You can't get much more out of town than me, born and bred in the south west, no family in Liverpool and when anyone asks me how I became a Liverpool fan (as so many do) I simply can't give a very good answer, it just happened.

Therefore, what do I know about Hillsborough, how can I possible pass comment on something I didn't experience or even realise was happening at the time? It didn't affect me personally and it didn't affect any of my close family or friends. However, as a young Liverpool fan now, whenever, where ever I was born Hillsborough is something that is inside me and always will be. I began to know of the Hillsborough tragedy from quite an early age, but first read about it in detail in a book called 'Parklife' by Nick Varley. He dedicated a whole chapter of his book to Hillsborough, his experience of it as a junior reporter but most importantly he included the lies and hurt that followed. It was the first time I cried about Hillsborough. Since then I've done everything I can to educate myself about Hillsborough, I had to know what really happened, I had to know the truth about my fellow Liverpool fans the people I respected, admired and aspired to be like. Getting the Internet helped enormously, I spoke to wonderful people and read thousands and thousands of words about Hillsborough. I also read in full the HJC web site and Anne William's book as well as Phil Scranton's book Hillsborough: The Truth, which if you're a Liverpool fan and you only ever read one book in your life, it has to be that one!

Despite knowing as much as I do now about that fateful day, I still don't feel that I can write anything of any worth about it. I'm writing this now because of an experience I had a few weeks ago, while talking with two of my friends. It was a day not long after I'd been in Liverpool for a match, I always wear my HJC badge to games but I don't generally where it day to day. However, I'd happened to have left it on my jacket when coming back from Liverpool and one of these friends asked what it was. I replied that it was the Hillsborough Justice Campaign pin badge. "Justice?" one of them sneered. "Yes, Justice." I replied. "Justice for what?" "Justice for the 96 innocent Liverpool fans crushed to death because of the negligence of the authorities." I replied calmly. They looked at each other and grinned. "More like they were crushed by their own drunk Liverpool hooligans." Replied one of them.

Now before I continue, this particular friend I've not known very long, but he doesn't like football, or know anything about it, and I don't think he's ever been to Liverpool before in his life. Like me he would have been 4 at the time of Hillsborough and yet somehow he still had the impression that the disaster was caused by drunken ticketless Liverpool fans. This is a frightening example, of how far the disgusting arm of tabloid lies actually reached. The other friend, is just about my best friend, and has only begun to like football recently, he is now a match going Reading fan but knows nothing of the Hillsborough disaster. It was at this point in the conversation that I became agitated, not a lot agitates me, I've a very laid back person but I raised my voice in desperation: "96 innocent Liverpool fans were crushed to death because of police negligence!!" I was staring at two blank faces who were trying not laugh as they found my increasing agitation and anger amusing. "Yeah whatever, I'm sure it's a very good cause." One said in a dismissive manner. At this point I was angry and upset and left the room realising that arguing with them any further would get me no where, whatever I said they weren't going to change their minds.

This encounter, with two of my best friends, made me realise how vital education now is in the fight for Justice. As many of you know the HJC are still exploring very expensive and complex legal routes in the fight for justice, despite the HFSG's admission that for them the legal fight has stopped. These continuing legal fights are vital, but we can all see that there are fewer and fewer routes to be explored in terms of the legal system and that the British Justice System really has failed those 96. However, whatever the outcome of these continuing legal operations the fight for justice continuing with the same dedication and passion is as important as ever before. Nearly 15 years on and ignorance still rules.

Out of my two friends, the one that upset me the most was not the Reading fan who knew nothing of the disaster, but of the non-football supporter who knew very little about the disaster but what he did know was hurtful tripe spewed out by gutter rags. It makes me so angry, that after so much has been written on the truth about Hillsborough, what stills rules in the heads of those whom know very little about that fateful day is the vile printed by those gutter rags. Vile that should have been chip papers by the next day but somehow has dictated the overall public view of the Hillsborough disaster and Liverpool fan's role in it.

Liverpool as a city, scousers as people and Liverpool as a club has suffered for too long at the hands of a resentful, scornful and bigoted media and general public. In reflection I should have stayed in that room with my friends and tried to get through to them, I should print out articles for them and lend them books, whether or not they'd read them I don't know, but making the effort is what counts. The fact that there is still so much ignorance over Hillsborough nearly 15 years on shows how much work there is still to do in the fight for justice. I now feel I have role in that fight, as a young passionate Liverpool fan I have to try and educate those like me, whether they support Liverpool, another club or don't like football at all, if they don't know about Hillsborough or they only know the lies that have been told then they need to be told the truth! We're not just fighting for those 96 wonderful Liverpool fans who's lives were so tragically and unnecessarily cut short but we are fighting for their good name and the good name of all true Liverpool fans all over the world. To educate one, is to tell a thousand. JFT96.

Tom Johnson aka Curly
www.AnfieldShrine.com

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Op dinsdag 15 april 2003 12:56 schreef zjroentje het volgende:

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We zijn blijkbaar toch menselijk.

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Season 2002-03| Author: Andy Roper | Date: 26.1.2003

Even if you don't read all of this....please just know that if you want to ask any questions, please know that you will not be looked down upon, and not be mocked....there are a lot of people on here who will be happy to answer them. If you don't feel comfortable asking on here, you can email me directly on: roper@thisisanfield.info

As fans of this great and illustrious club, we pride ourselves in knowing almost every detail of our history. The years we won the European Cups [1977, 1978, 1981, 1984]. The fact that we've won 18 league titles. In the early years there was Liddell, later we had Hunt, followed by Keegan, then Dalglish and Rush. We even know specifics about games, transfer fees, and opposition teams. Our minds must be over run with useless information about the Redmen, stored away incase needed in that vital pub quiz questions, or argument with mates in an ale house.

We buy things to learn about our club. Books, videos, DVD's, membership to this website, and much much more. It never becomes tiresome...why? because we love the club, and we want to know as much as possible so that when we want to discuss it, we feel comfortable, and confident in what we say. Plus it makes us feel more connected to the club, and other fans when we know lots of information, you feel part of it all.

There is one subject that gets swept under the carpet by alot of Liverpool fans, and it's not necessarily their fault. The subject is Hillsborough... [please don't stop here - read on]

It's a difficult subject for a lot of people to talk about, mainly because it's an emotional black patch in our clubs history. People who weren't there may think they don't deserve an opinion, and that their opinion and help wouldn't be valued anyway. Others may feel that they don't want to upset people by bringing the subject up, and others may even think that threes nothing there to fight for anyway - it happened 14 years ago!!!

As many of you may know, the club decided post Hillsborough that it would stand by the HFSG [Hillsborough Families Support Group] and therefore the fight for Justice that is still carried forwards [strongly] today by the HJC [Hillsborough Justice Campaign] is over looked as Liverpool FC do not associate them selves with the organisation. Therefore when you go to Anfield, or online to purchase your LFC memorabilia, and items of historical significance, you can't get an awful lot of information regarding Hillsborough, and the HJC.

The one thing that you can get openly is Phil Scratton's superbly compelling and accurate books "Hillsborough - The Truth", and I would recommend anyone who can get their hands on a copy of this to do so. As it is so easily available. This book quite literally had me in tears and filled up with anger, but also grateful that Phil could put down on paper exactly what happened at Hillsborough on that fateful day and the injustices and wrong doings in the days and months afterwards.

The HJC [Hillsborough Justice Campaign] is still fighting today as strongly as it ever has done. Anne Williams is the chairperson of The Hillsborough Justice Campaign. The campaign continues the fight for justice for the dead, the bereaved and the survivors of the Hillsborough Disaster, and meets each Monday evening at the offices in Oakfield Road. These meetings, as well as the support she receives, give Anne the resolve to continue the fight for justice for her son, Kevin.

Hillsborough was Kevin's first away trip to watch the reds, and he arrived early at the ground, standing near the front of pen 3. When a senior police officer gave the order to open the exit gates in order to ease the build-up of fans waiting outside, most fans headed straight for the central pens. These pens were already full but the police made no attempt to divert fans to the unfilled pens on the wings. Sheffield Wednesday FC had not thought it necessary to signpost the fact that entry could be gained to the terracing without entering through the central tunnels. Those unfamiliar with the ground headed for the most obvious entry, which was through the tunnels at Leppings Lane into the pens which were already full. Once in, there was no way out.

Kevin was caught up in the ensuing crush, and at about 3.28pm his body was pulled out of the crowd by other desperate fans, who carried him to the North Stand on an advertising hoarding. There, an off-duty police officer, who was attending the match as a supporter, noticed Kevin moving. Together with a St John's ambulance man they attempted heart massage and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, eventually they found a pulse. They tried to get him to an ambulance but the only ambulance that the police had allowed onto the pitch drove straight past to the original scene of the disaster. At around 3.37 another ambulance man shone a light into Kevin's eyes and pronounced him deadâ€Ļâ€Ļ..he was not.

Debra Martin, a Sheffield Special Constable, made a statement revealing how she escorted Kevin's body to a makeshift mortuary set up in the gymnasium below the ground's North Stand. She attempted, once again, to resuscitate Kevin and amazingly found a pulse. As she cradled Kevin in her arms, he opened his eyes, murmured the word "mum" and slumped back. At 4.00pm Kevin died in her arms.

Debra Martin's evidence has never been heard in open court, indeed when the inquest into the disaster was held the coroner imposed a cut-off time of 3.15pm. No evidence of events after this time has ever been heard in a UK court, which effectively ruled out evidence into how the victims were treated in the aftermath of the disaster. Peter Carney, a member of HJC, for example, was left for dead by authorities, until a friend saw and helped him.

Specifically in Kevin's case, it was assumed he was dead by 3.15. At the very least witnesses who claimed to the contrary should have been called to give evidence to the jury. Other pertinent facts were omitted from evidence. Oxygen cylinders, which could have saved Kevin's life, were available but remained outside the stadium as the ambulances that contained them were not allowed inside. The Police officers, trained in emergency situations, who should have assisted in the admission of these ambulances, stood idly by in a cordon across the halfway line allegedly in an attempt to keep rival fans apart.

A verdict of accidental death was recorded against Kevin and the other victims, with "Traumatic Asphyxia" being given as the cause of death. The inquests were the longest in British legal history [at one point the coroner insensitively announced that "We are now eligible for The Guinness Book of Records"]. In 1993 a Judicial Review ruled that it was not 'in the public interest' to re-open the inquests. A scrutiny chaired by Lord Justice Stuart Smith in 1997 concluded that there would be no new public inquiry into the disaster or its aftermath. In June 2000, other bereaved families brought a private prosecution against Chief Superintendent David Duckenfield, who was in overall command at Hillsborough and his deputy, Superintendent Bernard Murray. Murray was acquitted whilst the jury failed to reach a verdict over Duckenfield. It was later revealed that if either had been found guilty they would not have faced a custodial sentence, as this had been agreed in a pre-hearing judgement.

Over thirteen years later Anne Williams, members of the HJC and Liverpool fans remain as determined as ever to establish accountability over the events of 15th April 1989. They refuse to accept the verdict of 'Accidental Death' and argue that by imposing the cut-off point of 3.15pm, the coroner effectively ruled out a verdict, which could have incorporated 'Lack of Care'.

Kevin Williams died through 'Lack of Care'. His mother, Anne, has courted the opinion of countless professionals, amongst them eminent forensic pathologists, all of whom reject "Traumatic Asphyxia" as a cause of death. The most recent to support Anne's case is the Home Office Consultant Pathologist Dr Nathanial Cary, effectively the leading UK expert in the field of forensic pathology. His views concur with those of Dr James Burns and Dr Iain West before him, both very highly experienced and highly regarded forensic pathologists.

In a report soon to be submitted to the Attorney General, as part of a memorial to have the inquest into the death of Kevin Williams re-opened, Dr Cary writes:

"I support the view that Dr Slater [pathologist who carried out the autopsy on Kevin] was incorrect in ascribing death as being due to traumatic asphyxia when the term is used properly. Based on the pathological findings described by him and the external findings that I have seen in photographs, the appropriate cause of death should now have been 'compression of the neck'."

Dr Cary goes on to explain that Kevin may not have died had relatively simple medical procedures taken place, equipment such as oxygen and tubing may have saved Kevin's life.

Anne Williams will submit this report of Dr Cary, along with other new evidence, to the Attorney General and will be asking him to quash the verdict on Kevin. She will be arguing that Kevin died of injuries other than those established at the inquest and that he possibly could have been saved had he received the correct treatment at the time. She will also state that as a result of the imposed 3.15pm cut-off, Kevin never received a fair hearing and this is in contradiction of his fundamental human rights.

In spite of all the previous set-backs and the deep-seated failure of the British Legal System to provide Justice for her dead son, Anne Williams remains optimistic:

"The legal system has failed us many times but I believe that in the end the truth will win out. We just have to keep chipping away at the brick wall the legal system has placed in front of us. 96 people died because of a lack of care. This needs to be acknowledged. Maybe then, the dead can rest in peace."

A more complete account of Anne Williams fight for justice can be found in her book "When You Walk Through A Storm".

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As you can see, the events of that fateful day are not as plain as a lot of people would like to make believable. When you start to look into the injustices that have occurred you really do find out why it is fought so fervently.

Things you may not have known about the role of the police and The Hillsborough Disaster

- The initial response of the police was not to send for the emergency services, but to send for dog handlers as reinforcements.

- Fire engines- armed with crucial fence cutting equipment arrived at the football ground- but were turned away by the police.

- Fans who managed to climb over the perimeter fencing to escape onto the pitch, were pushed back by police officers. Gate 3, which opened onto the pitch, actually sprung open twice under the weight of the crush. Fans were pushed back in by police, who then closed the gate, again. Clearly the emphasis for the police was on crowd control rather than crowd safety.

- The Major-Accident vehicle, which was equipped for dealing with disasters, was not sent out until 3.29pm. When it arrived at the stadium however, it was unable to enter the ground as Sheffield Wednesday had made unreported structural changes to the stadium.

- Former police sergeant Martin Long was awarded an estimated ÂŖ330,000 compensation for post-traumatic stress disorder after witnessing the tragedy. By comparison Anne Williams received ÂŖ3,500 for her dead son Kevin. Thirteen years after the disaster survivors still contact the Hillsborough Justice Campaign for the first time, because they are still traumatised by the disaster. There have been a number of suicides of survivors.

- In October 1987, Lord Justice Stuart Smith chaired a scrutiny of evidence. At the beginning of the inquiry he turned to one of the bereaved and asked, "Have you got a few of your people? Or are they like the Liverpool fans- turn up at the last minute?"

- The police force that was in charge of investigating the disaster was The West Midlands Police Force. It included a former head of its Serious Crime Squad, which was disbanded the same year because of corrupt practices.

- Before the private prosecution of senior officers Duckenfield and Murray a Pre-hearing ruling was given by Justice Hooper [who presided over the case] that should the defendants be found guilty they would not go to prison.

- The inquiry into the disaster found that "The main cause of the Disaster was the breakdown of police control".

In Summary

The details of this sad day in our clubs history and the reasons why we need to stand together are there for all to see. We need to know to be able to tell other the truths of that day, and the way the victims, the families and relatives were treated in the aftermath.

The fight for JUSTICE will go on forever, it will not be forgotten, just like the 96 friends who went to watch Liverpool Football Club on 15th April 1989 and never came home.

96 Candles Burn Bright - Gone but never forgotten.

Roper
with thanks to John McCormick
Email: roper@thisisanfield.info

Season 2002-03| Author: Mark Piercy | Date: 11.12.2002

Anne Williams is the chairperson of The Hillsborough Justice Campaign. The campaign continues the fight for justice for the dead, the bereaved and the survivors of the Hillsborough Disaster, and meets each Monday evening at the offices in Oakfield Road. These meetings, as well as the support she receives, give Anne the resolve to continue the fight for justice for her son, Kevin.

Hillsborough was Kevins first away trip to watch the reds, and he arrived early at the ground, standing near the front of pen 3. When a senior police officer gave the order to open the exit gates in order to ease the build-up of fans waiting outside, most fans headed straight for the central pens. These pens were already full but the police made no attempt to divert fans to the unfilled pens on the wings. Sheffield Wednesday FC had not thought it necessary to signpost the fact that entry could be gained to the terracing without entering through the central tunnels. Those unfamiliar with the ground headed for the most obvious entry, which was through the tunnels at Leppings Lane into the pens which were already full. Once in, there was no way out.

Kevin was caught up in the ensuing crush, and at about 3.28pm his body was pulled out of the crowd by other desperate fans, who carried him to the North Stand on an advertising hoarding. There, an off-duty police officer, who was attending the match as a supporter, noticed Kevin moving. Together with a St Johns ambulance man they attempted heart massage and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, eventually they found a pulse. They tried to get him to an ambulance but the only ambulance that the police had allowed onto the pitch drove straight past to the original scene of the disaster. At around 3.37 another ambulance man shone a light into Kevins eyes and pronounced him dead..he was not.

Debra Martin, a Sheffield Special Constable, made a statement revealing how she escorted Kevins body to a makeshift mortuary set up in the gymnasium below the grounds North Stand. She attempted, once again, to resuscitate Kevin and amazingly found a pulse. As she cradled Kevin in her arms, he opened his eyes, murmured the word mum and slumped back. At 4.00pm Kevin died in her arms.

Debra Martins evidence has never been heard in open court, indeed when the inquest into the disaster was held the coroner imposed a cut-off time of 3.15pm. No evidence of events after this time has ever been heard in a UK court, which effectively ruled out evidence into how the victims were treated in the aftermath of the disaster. Peter Carney, a member of HJC, for example, was left for dead by authorities, until a friend saw and helped him.

Specifically in Kevins case, it was assumed he was dead by 3.15. At the very least witnesses who claimed to the contrary should have been called to give evidence to the jury. Other pertinent facts were omitted from evidence. Oxygen cylinders, which could have saved Kevins life, were available but remained outside the stadium as the ambulances that contained them were not allowed inside. The Police officers, trained in emergency situations, who should have assisted in the admission of these ambulances, stood idly by in a cordon across the halfway line allegedly in an attempt to keep rival fans apart.

A verdict of accidental death was recorded against Kevin and the other victims, with Traumatic Asphyxia being given as the cause of death. The inquests were the longest in British legal history (at one point the coroner insensitively announced that We are now eligible for The Guiness Book of Records). In 1993 a Judicial Review ruled that it was not in the public interest to re-open the inquests. A scrutiny chaired by Lord Justice Stuart Smith in 1997 concluded that there would be no new public inquiry into the disaster or its aftermath. In June 2000, other bereaved families brought a private prosecution against Chief Superintendent David Duckenfield, who was in overall command at Hillsborough and his deputy, superintendent Bernard Murray. Murray was acquitted whilst the jury failed to reach a verdict over Duckenfield. It was later revealed that if either had been found guilty they would not have faced a custodial sentence, as this had been agreed in a pre-hearing judgement.

Over thirteen years later Anne Williams, members of the HJC and Liverpool fans remain as determined as ever to establish accountability over the events of 15th April 1989. They refuse to accept the verdict of Accidental Death and argue that by imposing the cut-off point of 3.15pm, the coroner effectively ruled out a verdict, which could have incorporated Lack of Care.

Kevin Williams died through Lack of Care. His mother, Anne, has courted the opinion of countless professionals, amongst them eminent forensic pathologists, all of whom reject Traumatic Asphyxia as a cause of death. The most recent to support Annes case is the Home Office Consultant Pathologist Dr Nathanial Cary, effectively the leading UK expert in the field of forensic pathology. His views concur with those of Dr James Burns and Dr Iain West before him, both very highly experienced and highly regarded forensic pathologists.

In a report soon to be submitted to the Attorney General, as part of a memorial to have the inquest into the death of Kevin Williams re-opened, Dr Cary writes:

I support the view that Dr Slater [pathologist who carried out the autopsy on Kevin] was incorrect in ascribing death as being due to traumatic asphyxia when the term is used properly. Based on the pathological findings described by him and the external findings that I have seen in photographs, the appropriate cause of death should now have been compression of the neck.

Dr Cary goes on to explain that Kevin may not have died had relatively simple medical procedures taken place, equipment such as oxygen and tubing may have saved Kevins life.

Anne Williams will submit this report of Dr Cary, along with other new evidence, to the Attorney General and will be asking him to quash the verdict on Kevin. She will be arguing that Kevin died of injuries other than those established at the inquest and that he possibly could have been saved had he received the correct treatment at the time. She will also state that as a result of the imposed 3.15pm cut-off, Kevin never received a fair hearing and this is in contradiction of his fundamental human rights.

In spite of all the previous set-backs and the deep-seated failure of the British Legal System to provide Justice for her dead son, Anne Williams remains optimistic:

The legal system has failed us many times but I believe that in the end the truth will win out. We just have to keep chipping away at the brick wall the legal system has placed in front of us. 96 people died because of a lack of care. This needs to be acknowledged. Maybe then, the dead can rest in peace.

A more complete account of Anne Williams fight for justice can be found in her book When You Walk Through A Storm.

And should you need to contact myself you can do so at John_mac@blueyonder.co.uk

Anne can be contacted on her email Annewilliams96@hotmail.com

The Website for the HJC is Here
With email info@hillsboroughjustice.org.uk

Article By Sheila Coleman

JUSTICE FOR THE HILLSBOROUGH VICTIMS

Season 2002-03| Author: Andy Roper | Date: 15.1.2003

There are many things about our illustrious club that bring smiles and happy memories. These things are cherished by us almost daily as we recall the triumphant victories and memorable ventures across this country and abroad. We only need someone to mention a 'key word' and we can go on for hours on end about certain matches, incidents, players, tactics and feelings.

There is, however, one subject that causes us to think carefully about what we say, and yet, it is just as important [if not even more important] than any other part of our history †past or present. The subject is Hillsborough.

A lot of people [like myself at first] felt uncomfortable discussing the events of that spring day in '89. My reasons for feeling uneasy stemmed form the fact that I felt I didn't deserve to have an opinion, because I wasn't there, and neither was any of my immediate family. Although I knew about the ongoing struggles since that fateful day, I didn't know enough about what happened before, during and after Hillsborough to be able to voice any valid opinions. I wanted to help, but what could I offer? I didn't want people to look at me, and think "what's he tryin' to do? †he wasn't even there". I was scared that's what some people may think. How wrong I was.

After doing all the initial work myself by reading books, web sites and message boards, I was able to meet a lot of people who were directly linked to the HJC [Hillsborough Justice Campaign] These people helped me to understand what happened, and also to explain the ongoing fight for JUSTICE that still exists, just as strongly, to this day.

You see, contrary to my initial feelings and fears, there is quite a lot that can be learned, and even more that can be done.

What is the Hillsborough Justice Campaign?

The Hillsborough Justice Campaign was formed in response to the belief of a substantial number of people who were involved in the disaster that, after more than nine years campaigning - and having many judicial decisions ruled against them - that a fresh approach was required for the fight to achieve proper Justice. The constitution of the membership is reflected in the Group's name, and it follows that the organisation is broad-based.

Aims & Objectives.

(1) To pursue Justice for the 96 who died in the Hillsborough Stadium Disaster in 1989, the bereaved families, the survivors who came perilously close to dying in Pens 3 and 4 and those unfortunate people still suffering from the ensuing
trauma of the disaster.

(2) To recruit members to the organisation for the purpose of raising support for the Justice Campaign.

(3) To raise funds for the furtherance of the Justice Campaign.
Strategy.

(1) To acknowledge, at every stage, the people who died at Hillsborough and those who survived. Implicit within this is a total support for each individual bereaved family.

(2) Individual bereaved families will be fully supported in any reasonable legal activity they undertake in the pursuit of their personal fight for justice.

(3) The collation of any fresh evidence relating to the disaster and its aftermath will be a primary function of the group. Survivors providing evidence will also be offered full support.

(4) The group will operate in an open and democratic manner. It will provide a forum for discussion, debate and activity and will facilitate a means of mutual support.

(5) Regular meetings will take place in order to disseminate information and update members.

(6) There will be an Annual General Meeting for the purpose of electing Officers and Committee Members, in line with the Constitution of the Organisation.

(7) Membership is open to all those who support the aims and objectives of the organisation.

(8) Fundraising will play a crucial role in the Organisation - it will be an indispensable means of sustaining activity.

(9) The acquisition of offices (already achieved) will play a pivotal role in the raising of finance. The premises will operate both as an office / advice centre relating to Hillsborough and as an outlet for the selling of suitable goods (Tee - polo shirts, caps, stickers etc.). The latter will, therefore, operate as a supportive wing to the main fundraising body. It will assist, in a practical way, the activities of the group that involve expenditure.

(10) The group acknowledges the political nature of the decisions reached to date pertaining to the disaster and will, therefore, not desist from entering the political arena.

As you can see, the ongoing fight for Justice doesn't just revolve around a select group of people. It needs as many people as possible to not only want to help with monetary needs, but equally as important, the educating of people as to what really happened on 15th April 1989.

As a small group we are a voice, but with more people we are a force †and until Justice is found the 96 innocent victims and their families will not be able to rest in peace.

You can contact the HJC directly by there web site at www.contrast.org/hillsborough, or alternatively you can drop into the shop on Oakfield Road, just 5 minutes along the road from the Kop [just past the Sandon & SamDodds]. They are available a couple of hours before games on match days, and will not only sell various items, but also answer any questions you may have.

You can also contact me direct at roper@thisisanfield.info.

Justice......

Boys, you'll never walk alone.

_{eigenlijk het 1e wat bij me opkomt, zie meteen de beelden weer voor me}

Mensen klimmen op de hekken om gevaar te vermijden
en dan valt de hek om waardoor er veel mensen op de grond komen te liggen en er veel dood ginggen omdat ze dood werden getrapt ?

Dit is een gedeelte dat ik kan herrineren van die film

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Op dinsdag 15 april 2003 12:03 schreef Gunner het volgende:
Op imdb.com kan ik alleen dit vinden... uit 1996 een docudrama

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Op dinsdag 15 april 2003 12:13 schreef Da_Sandman het volgende:
Even volstrekt offtopic hoor, maar nu we het over voetbaldocu's en films hebben:

Wie kent de film waarin twee politieagenten infiltreren in de harde kern van de Shadwell Dogs? Ook een aantal jaar geleden op Nederland 3 geweest... Ben al een tijdje opzoek naar de film, wist ooit de titel maar dat is weer zoek...

[/offtopic]

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Erg tragische gebeurtenis natuurlijk.

Ikzelf hoop ook ooit nog eens Anfield te mogen bezoeken en dan ook het monument ter nagedachtenis van de slachtoffers.

Is er trouwens iemand die weet of die 'film' over Hillsborough op video/dvd te koop of te huur is? Ik zou hem namelijk ERG graag nog eens zien.

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Op dinsdag 15 april 2003 16:46 schreef BrauN het volgende:
YNWA

Erg tragische gebeurtenis natuurlijk.

Ikzelf hoop ook ooit nog eens Anfield te mogen bezoeken en dan ook het monument ter nagedachtenis van de slachtoffers.

Is er trouwens iemand die weet of die 'film' over Hillsborough op video/dvd te koop of te huur is? Ik zou hem namelijk ERG graag nog eens zien.

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Op dinsdag 15 april 2003 16:56 schreef DutchGooner het volgende:

[..]

Moet wel effe zoeken maar heb hem wel,anders mag je hem komen lenen van mij WP Den Bosch en de jouwe regio Wolluk?

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Ikke woon in Waalwijk inderdaad ja, ik kijk wel, als ik hem niet kan kopen of huren laat ik het wel horen

[/offtopic]

Van de beelden die je kreeg te zien van doodgedrukte mensen werd je gewoon naar van

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Op dinsdag 15 april 2003 15:43 schreef DutchGooner het volgende:

[..]

Is dat niet die film waar die wout undercover gaat en vervolgens er helemaal in op gaat?

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In memory

John Alfred Anderson (62)
Colin Mark Ashcroft (19)
James Gary Aspinall (18 )
Kester Roger Marcus Ball (16)
Gerard Bernard Patrick Baron (67)
Simon Bell (17)
Barry Sidney Bennett (26)
David John Benson (22)
David William Birtle (22)
Tony Bland (22)
Paul David Brady (21)
Andrew Mark Brookes (26)
Carl Brown (18 )
David Steven Brown (25)
Henry Thomas Burke (47)
Peter Andrew Burkett (24)
Paul William Carlile (19)
Raymond Thomas Chapman (50)
Gary Christopher Church (19)
Joseph Clark (29)
Paul Clark (18 )
Gary Collins (22)
Stephen Paul Copoc (20)
Tracey Elizabeth Cox (23)
James Philip Delaney (19)
Christopher Barry Devonside (18 )
Christopher Edwards (29)
Vincent Michael Fitzsimmons (34)
Thomas Steven Fox (21)
Jon-Paul Gilhooley (10)
Barry Glover (27)
Ian Thomas Glover (20)
Derrick George Godwin (24)
Roy Harry Hamilton (34)
Philip Hammond (14)
Eric Hankin (33)
Gary Harrison (27)
Stephen Francis Harrison (31)
Peter Andrew Harrison (15)
David Hawley (39)
James Robert Hennessy (29)
Paul Anthony Hewitson (26)
Carl Darren Hewitt (17)
Nicholas Michael Hewitt (16)
Sarah Louise Hicks (19)
Victoria Jane Hicks (15)
Gordon Rodney Horn (20)
Arthur Horrocks (41)
Thomas Howard (39)
Thomas Anthony Howard (14)
Eric George Hughes (42)
Alan Johnston (29)
Christine Anne Jones (27)
Gary Philip Jones (18 )
Richard Jones (25)
Nicholas Peter Joynes (27)
Anthony Peter Kelly (29)
Michael David Kelly (38 )
Carl David Lewis (18 )
David William Mather (19)
Brian Christopher Mathews (38 )
Francis Joseph McAllister (27)
John McBrien (18 )
Marion Hazel McCabe (21)
Joseph Daniel McCarthy (21)
Peter McDonnell (21)
Alan McGlone (28 )
Keith McGrath (17)
Paul Brian Murray (14)
Lee Nicol (14)
Stephen Francis O'Neill (17)
Jonathon Owens (18 )
William Roy Pemberton (23)
Carl William Rimmer (21)
David George Rimmer (38 )
Graham John Roberts (24)
Steven Joseph Robinson (17)
Henry Charles Rogers (17)
Colin Andrew Hugh William Sefton (23)
Inger Shah (38 )
Paula Ann Smith (26)
Adam Edward Spearritt (14)
Philip John Steele (15)
David Leonard Thomas (23)
Patrik John Thompson (35)
Peter Reuben Thompson (30)
Stuart Paul William Thompson (17)
Peter Francis Tootle (21)
Christopher James Traynor (26)
Martin Kevin Traynor (16)
Kevin Tyrrell (15)
Colin Wafer (19)
Ian David Whelan (19)
Martin Kenneth Wild (29)
Kevin Daniel Williams (15)
Graham John Wright (17)

Never forgotten.
JFT96

Wil graag zien, lijkt me wel erg

Herinner me ook de solidariteit van de Everton supporters. Als ik het me goed herinner zongen die met de Liverpool supporters mee bij hun eerste ontmoeting.

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Op dinsdag 15 april 2003 22:54 schreef tong80 het volgende:

Herinner me ook de solidariteit van de Everton supporters. Als ik het me goed herinner zongen die met de Liverpool supporters mee bij hun eerste ontmoeting.

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EFC en LFC supporters kunnen over het algemeen redelijk goed met elkaar opschieten. Meestal niet in het stadion, maar dan nog gaat het relatief goed: je kan als EFC supporter in blauw de derby volgen in een LFC vak zonder dat het echt problemen geeft. Het zijn ook geen volledig gescheiden werelden en er waren ook EFC supporters die bekenden/collegae etc kwijt waren geraakt...

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Op dinsdag 15 april 2003 13:08 schreef Doc het volgende:

[..]

Een van de liedjes die SCUM opp Anfield soms zingt is "if it wasn't for the scousers we could stand" ...

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Op dinsdag 15 april 2003 14:57 schreef ASSpirine het volgende:
Ik dacht dat het toch ong zo ging

Mensen klimmen op de hekken om gevaar te vermijden
en dan valt de hek om waardoor er veel mensen op de grond komen te liggen en er veel dood ginggen omdat ze dood werden getrapt ?

Dit is een gedeelte dat ik kan herrineren van die film

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Op woensdag 16 april 2003 10:21 schreef Gunner het volgende:
Afgaande op de achternamen in het lijstje van Doc zie ik dat er dus gewoon meerdere leden van een familie opstaan.

Niet dat dat het anders maakt, maar gewoon nog triester dat je gewoon meerdere leden van je gezin/familie moet missen door zo'n drama

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"The thing I remember the most is the look on peoples faces as we arrived back in the city that hazy Saturday evening. One group of teenagers in particular stood out, five or six of them perched on a wall smoking either joints or roll-ups. As our coach trundled past they just stared at us, unable to avert their eyes.
What could they say?
What could we say?
Yet we were the lucky ones, the survivors. We were going home that night, and for all the terrible things we had seen that day, for all the anguish that our loved ones had suffered in that agonising period before the phone call home, we had come through it unscathed - physically at least.
For those who'd been in the wrong place at the very worst of times, there would be no phone call, no life-affirming hug in the womb of the living room with relieved relatives. There would be no more trips away to watch the Reds, no more cosy nights in with the loved ones, no new jobs, no children, no grandchildren, no nothing.

All this because they went to a football match on a gloriously sunny April day in 1989.

The Hillsborough Disaster. By Anthony Teasdale

DESPITE THE FACT THAT LIVERPOOL were playing in an FA Cup semi-final, Saturday, April 15th 1989 started in much the same way as countless other match days. I met up with my mate Nicky and another lad, Lace, and took the Merseyrail down to Kirkdale where fleets of coaches were waiting to take us Reds over the Pennines to Hillsborough. Like a lot of 17-year-olds, I didn't just go to away matches for the football it was the whole experience: the early starts, the ritual of buying papers, butties and crisps from the newsagent, the laughs you'd have with rough-as-fuck lads from places like Kirkby, Skem and Bootle. And best of all the moment when you arrived at your destination - an invasion force of thousands under the banner of Liverpool FC, the greatest club in the land.

Of course the football was second to none too -with players like Rush, Aldridge, Beardsley and Barnes how could it be anything else? The team of 1989, though not quite up to the immense standards of the year before, was still miles ahead of everybody else and the semi-final against Nottingham Forest was, we were sure, a mere formality on the way to Wembley and hopefully a match against Everton, who were involved in the other Semi-Final that day against Norwich.

We'd been here before, of course. The year previously, in fact, when we'd faced Cloughie's men at Hillsborough in the FA cup semi of 1988, dispatching Forest on the way to that monumental defeat against Wimbledon. Despite our victory, the day had been spoilt by the crushing I'd had to endure in the central pen of the Leppings Lane terrace. The problem was that once the terrace filled up, it was impossible to get out of the middle section - there was simply no escape. The crushing was so bad that after the game, gates in the perimeter fence were opened just so Liverpool fans could walk around a bit on the pitch to get our breath back.

It seemed ridiculous that Liverpool, with far more fans than Forest, were in such cramped conditions, when over on the other side of the ground was one of the biggest terraces in British football, the Sheffield Wednesday Kop. The FA claimed it was because Liverpool fans would be arriving from the north, meaning the first end they'd encounter was Leppings Lane. Actually, most Liverpool traffic came the easy way over the Snake and Woodhead Passes, arriving in Sheffield right outside the Hillsborough Kop.
And throughout the 1988-89 season there had been incidents when congestion endangered fans. At Carlisle in the third round, Liverpool supporters had pleaded with please, clearly out of their depth, to open another section of terracing after heavy crushing in the away end. At Villa in the league the situation in the sectioned Witton End had been so severe that the police were forced to open a perimeter gate and put us into another, less crowded pen. Yet, nothing about this struck any of us as unusual. This is how it was then, what going to a football match was like. You turned up, paid your money, watched the match and fucked off - and if you got your ribcage crushed in the process it was tough shit, you knew the score. Despite the twin disasters of Bradford and Heysel, for the police and the football authorities the main concerns of the day were hooliganism and crowd control, not crowd safety. Ignoring the lessons of the year before, Liverpool's fans were yet again going to have to put up with the pens of Leppings Lane. But no way was I getting stuck in that central pen this time.

THERE'S ALWAYS A REAL BUZZ WHEN you approach a different ground, that first sight of the stands or floodlights peeping from behind a row of terraced houses is truly something to savour. After our arrival via the Snake Pass, the three of us-me, Nicky and Lace - walked towards the stadium, following the crowds, looking for mates, though as most of them supported Everton we didn't hold out much hope.
There was talk of a pre-match bevvie, but as (a) we were 17 and looked it and (b) we were skint, the plan was shelved. Fuck all to do except go into the ground itself.
One Liverpool fan, Nick, remembers one significant difference from the 1988 encounter. "The most noticeable thing was there was no police checkpoint. There was no control over who was going where. I remember the first year (1988) when we passed the Spion Kop there was loads of bizzies around - you were channelled, stopped and searched: 'Do you have a ticket?' "
At the turnstile, Nicky went into the West Stand above the Leppings Lane terrace, which is where Lace and I had tickets. Just like the year before we walked down the tunnel toward the central pen, but instead of going straight on we made a detour to the section on the right via the step-wide walkway at the very back of the terrace. For the next hour or so the pair of us discussed the usual things - sex, football and music - to pass the time. By 2.15 the ground was rapidly filling up, with chants and songs bouncing around the ground, Liverpool's support providing far more of a backing here than at our often-subdued home stadium. The FA Cup was always my favourite competition and the semi-final the best match of all, a real make-or-break tie. Losing wasn't even worth thinking about.

What I didn't know then, what I could not have known, was that outside the ground, both the police and the inadequate Leppings Lane turnstiles were unable to cope with the number of fans arriving for the game. A huge crush was developing and if something was not done quickly people were going to start getting hurt. Finally, an order was given by the most senior policeman in the ground, Chief Superintendent Duckenfield, to open one of the exit gates and relieve the pressure outside. It was not forced open by Liverpool fans, though this is what the FA's Graham Kelly was told by Mr Duckenfield, who later repeated this allegation to the press. It was also insinuated by various parties later on that Liverpool fans had arrived with insufficient time to spare. "All that stuff about us turning up late, that was another myth," says Peter, a Liverpool fan who was there. "We turned up the year before at exactly the same time, 2.15-2.30, and it was totally orderly, people checking your tickets at the end of Leppings Lane, where there was a cordon of police. Someone should have said, 'Let's stop this now and delay the match.'"

Getting their breath back after the trauma of the crush outside, fans moved from the courtyard in between the turnstile and stand, towards the terrace down the central tunnel and straight into the middle pen, unaware that they would be unable to leave it. Despite the fact that this pen was already full, nobody -stewards or police- directed them to the other entrances at either side of the stand. Peter again: "The person who ordered the gates to be opened should have realised, knowing the stadium, that you had to cut off that tunnel area otherwise it was a disaster waiting to happen."
Another Liverpool fan, Jim, arrived at 2.15 and was immediately caught up in the crush outside Leppings Lane. He entered the ground through the open gate near the turnstile, his ticket remained unseen. "We had tickets for that pen (B - which all standing tickets were marked with). When we got in everyone rushed towards the middle one and because I had my brother with me who was small at the time and I remembered the year before that it was packed, I thought we better go down the side, because it looked a bit full in there."
By kick-off our section to the right of the central pen was barely half full. We were comfortable, enough people to create an atmosphere but not so many that you were struggling to get your breath. I knew full well that the situation in the middle section would be hellish, people crammed up against each other, huge chasms suddenly appearing in front of a barrier with everyone petrified about filling it. I'd gladly sacrifice a bit of atmosphere for a decent view and a chance not to have my ribs squashed against a yard of Sheffield steel. Little did I realise just how bad the situation was.
Dan, who took his place in the central pen at around 2pm, describes the terrible congestion inside: "We made our way through the tunnel. It felt very full to start with. It got more and more uncomfortable. I said to my mate should we get down the front - traditionally there was more space down the front. We tried, thought about it, realised we couldn't actually move, there was no way we could go anywhere.
"The game kicked off. By that stage my coat had been removed from my back through the force of people around me and I was holding onto it by a cuff."

On the pitch, Liverpool were showing their class, knocking the ball about in the assured, methodical way that made the team such a force. Suddenly, the ball came to Peter Beardsley. but his effort ricocheted off the crossbar. That's when I saw the first fans trying to climb over the perimeter fence from the central section of the terracing. At first I thought it was some sort of pitch invasion, but that made no sense. Were there Forest fans in our end? Again, no-there was no fighting, the aggressive roar that accompanied gang violence was conspicuous by its absence. It was far, far worse than anyone could comprehend, as Dan in the central pen recalls: "When Peter Beardsley hit the bar, Liverpool were attacking the other end. Because it was far away, everyone tried to get up and see what was going on. Because they couldn't there were no arms involved, everyone's arms were trapped where they were, people surged forward. When they surged forward, more people came in from the tunnel behind us and there was no room for us to surge back into an upright position, so everyone was kept in that 45 degree angle, like the position ski jumpers are in when they actually leave the top of the slope. At that stage, I was very aware that everyone was holding on to everyone else and people were starting to faint. I remember vividly people shouting at one policeman who was right near the gate that was locked, shrieking blue murder at him to open the gate. But he wasn't having it, he didn't move."

Then the photographers appeared. What seemed like hundreds of them suddenly descended on the Leppings Lane end from around the ground, clicking desperately at the fans in the pen next to ours. Word went round-people were getting crushed, fans were hurt, this was fucking serious. Supporters were screaming at the police, at the horror of the situation, at their powerlessness- something was going very badly wrong and all the while those photographers kept clicking away, seemingly unmoved by the tragedy unfolding before them. I screamed at them to forget their job, to get in there and do something, but my words were lost amongst a thousand desperate calls for help. The referee took the players off the pitch. It was just gone five past three.
Fans in the West Stand above us started dragging people to safety from the back of the terrace - big, tough men saving countless lives with their determination to do something to help out their fellow human beings. Someone near me turned a radio on - we listened, finding it ironic that in order to get information on what was happening a few feet away from us we had to tune in to a station based 200 miles away in London. Then we heard: people were dead, fans had died at a Liverpool match again. What had we done to deserve this?

After an eternity the police opened the gates in the perimeter fence and fans got on to the turf, some walking about in shock, others crowding around those who lay prostrate on the ground, using whatever aid skills they had to try to revive those who had slipped into unconsciousness.
The Forest fans, unaware of what was really happening, began chanting at the Liverpool supporters and for one horrible moment it looked like it might kick off. But sense prevailed, this was no day for fighting. A long line of policemen, unaware of what was really happening behind them, was placed across the halfway line in case fans clashed on the pitch.
As it became increasingly clear that the authorities weren't going to be much help, Liverpool supporters took it upon themselves to make the best of the situation. Advertising hoardings were ripped down, converted into stretchers and taken by fans into the far corner where it was assumed medical help would be waiting. So often derided, Liverpudlians showed compassion and initiative in the face of overwhelming odds, saving countless lives with their efforts on the pitch. These people were heroes.
As efforts continued on the pitch and nearby radios updated the horrific tally, thoughts turned to friends, to people who Lace and I knew could be in the central pen. We scanned the West stand for our mate Nicky at the same time he was looking for us. He saw us, shouted, "Are you alright? Are you alright?" and moved to a spot exactly above where we were standing. He was helped over the edge of the stand and dropped down into our section, the three of us vowing not let one another out of each other's sights again. Up in the stand, Nicky had seen the disaster unfold, the crush, the dead and injured lifted above the crowd in the hope that they would find medical help. But we three could do nothing for the fans who lay by the side of the pitch or in the ambulances that were finally starting to appear. Part of me wanted to get on that grass myself, but I was aware that my presence was not needed, that others were doing the job. I would never be a hero at Hillsborough, merely another survivor, a bystander fortunate to escape with my life. Dan remembers the horror of the situation: "The worst scene for me was when that end was empty, there was left literally a pile of people, four or five deep - probably 50 or 60 people piled up next to that bent crash barrier."

MY MUM WAS BACKING OUT OF Sainsbury's in Crosby when she first heard the muddled news of a disaster, though at first she thought they were talking about the Heysel stadium tragedy. Only when the announcer revealed that the disaster was at one of the FA Cup semi-finals was she gripped by the dread we all feel when we sense loved ones in danger. It got worse - the problems were in the Leppings Lane end, where she knew I was. And then the first reports of casualties started to come through. People were dying and I could be one of them. She drove to my dad's house, where events were being broadcast live on TV.

I often think that, apart from the dead, those who suffered the most at Hillsborough were many miles away at homes throughout Merseyside and beyond. Saturday afternoons shopping or gardening were ripped apart by events at a football ground in South Yorkshire that they could do nothing about. All they could do was wait for news.

I can't remember how long we stayed in the ground, probably another two hours. There was an announcement from Kenny Dalglish, but I have no recollection of what he said - all that was certain was that there would be no more football today. Gradually, the ground began to empty, though the three of us stayed until we were virtually the last people left on the terrace. As I walked toward the tunnel that had funnelled people toward their death I was struck by the sight of a crush barrier on the terrace, steel mangled beyond recognition. The pressure on this barrier to buckle and snap so catastrophically must have been enormous and yet it was people's bodies that had broken it. The effect on those fans pressed against this barrier is too terrible to even think about.

Already some had placed scarves on it as a tribute, so I put my little Liverpool badge on one of them and we left the ground, bumping into some lads from school who, waving their tickets- complete with stubs - told me about the gate being opened outside. Emerging into the sun, we scanned the area for a house we could phone our parents from. Already queues were appearing out of houses as Scousers were offered the use of phones by local residents. We came upon a funeral parlour with its doors open and waited for our turn on the phone. Even though money was not asked for, every Liverpudlian there left upwards of 50p for their call, a token of our appreciation. With many fans waiting behind us, we made one call to Nicky's mum to tell her we were alright and left it at that. She would call my parents and tell them I was OK, that I'd be coming home.

On our way to the coach I saw a radio reporter who was looking for fans to interview. Incensed, I ran over to him and told him to fuck off, to leave us alone, that we'd suffered enough in the past from journalists like him. "I'm just after a story," he pleaded. I didn't want to know.
Naturally the atmosphere on the coach back from a match was very different from that going to it, the songs and banter of the outward journey replaced with sleep, quiet chats and maybe even a video if you were lucky. On April 15, it was different again. The relaxation of a normal journey was replaced by anxiety and concern for mates yet unaccounted for. Before mobile phones, there was no way of knowing what had happened to people. Going home, this time via the motorway, we were passed by the Liverpool team coach. Normally, the sight of the lads would have been a real boost, but each and every one of them looked desolate. I nodded at Ian Rush and he gave a muted little wave, pain etched all over his face.

OVER THE NEXT FEW WEEKS AND months the press would come out with the most hurtful, insulting lies about Liverpool fans - how it was our fault, how we brought death upon ourselves, what we did to the dead and to our rescuers.
Eventually, Chief Justice Taylor's report on the tragedy exonerated us from any blame, but the full-page apologies, the donations to the relatives of the bereaved in atonement, never materialised. That has not been forgotten. But neither has the kindness shown to us by Evertonians and supporters from all over the land who came to Anfield to pay tribute to our dead. They knew all too well but for the grace of God it could have been them, that as football fans, every time we went to a match we would be treated as stupidly loyal cattle with disposable incomes.
The Hillsborough disaster could easily have been prevented, but nobody in authority took the rap for failing to do their job or trying to cover up that failure by blaming the fans for their dreadful fate. "The authorities just lost control," says Peter, still angry about what happened. "If you're supposed to be in control of a building, presumably your jurisdiction is to look after that building and maintain the safety of the public. Well, if you end up with 96 dead, then surely you're culpable."

FOOTBALL USED TO BE MY BE-ALL and end-all. But Hillsborough changed that. When Arsenal won the league that year I was disappointed, but that's all. Other things, like house music, clubs and politics, started to take the place of the game that had formed such a huge part of my growing up. With me off to university the year after I would have had to give up my season ticket anyway, but I did so without regret, feeling that I could no longer dedicate myself to football in the way I once had.
I see my old friend Nicky regularly - we sometimes go to the match together - while Lace is married and currently working for the prison service in the north of England. I still love the game, still go to matches, both here and abroad, but I see football for what it is - a wonderful sport that allows me to keep in touch with my old friends and my home town. When I see grown men crying because their team has gone down, I cannot take it seriously.

Enough tears were shed that hot day in spring 1989."

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'k Heb de docu nog niet gezien, de beelden van toen kan ik me echter nog goed herinneren.

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Op dinsdag 15 april 2003 15:43 schreef DutchGooner het volgende:

Is dat niet die film waar die wout undercover gaat en vervolgens er helemaal in op gaat?

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Overigens interessant topic zo, toch handig dat het weer ff omhoog gekicked is, want het stamt van tijdens m'n honeymoon.

Volgens mij was het medeleven destijds heel erg groot. Scheen dat alleen Millwall aanhang zich walgelijk heeft opgesteld.

Zijn die 2 kandelaren in het logo van Liverpool daar niet bij geplaatst als herinnering aan dit drama?

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Op dinsdag 5 augustus 2003 17:23 schreef DIGGER het volgende:

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Ik heb hem ergens op video liggen, maar weet de titel niet (uit m'n hoofd).

Overigens interessant topic zo, toch handig dat het weer ff omhoog gekicked is, want het stamt van tijdens m'n honeymoon.

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Op dinsdag 5 augustus 2003 18:04 schreef Cruoninga het volgende:

Zijn die 2 kandelaren in het logo van Liverpool daar niet bij geplaatst als herinnering aan dit drama?

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In het Hillborough monument is er ook een 'eeuwig brandende vlam'. Ook op Hillsborough zelf is er geloof ik een memorial (een plaquette geloof ik).

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Op dinsdag 5 augustus 2003 18:04 schreef Cruoninga het volgende:
Hillsborough... 1 van de grootste zoniet het grootste drama in de voetbalwereld aller tijden. Ik heb er weleens beelden van gezien

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het Heizeldrama een paar jaar ervoor was natuurlijk ook live te zien geweest, amar daar had de regie al veel eerder door dat de boel goed fout zat, waardoor je minder beelden zag van hetgeen er echt allemaal gebeurde.

Hillsbrough was wat dat betreft precies andersom, weinigen hadden door hoe erg het was, tot het al helemala fout gegaan was, de regie inclusief. Geloof dat er non stop anderhalf uur beelden van het drama te volgen waren.

Is ook 1 van de weinige keren dat m'n moeder 'voetbal' heeft gekeken dit.

Maar ik kan de beelden nog zo op m'n netvlies toveren, zo 'indrukwekkend' waren ze destijds.

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Op zaterdag 14 april 2007 13:24 schreef rubbereend het volgende:
als ik de beelden zie of er verhalen over hoor krijg ik nog steeds kippenvel.......

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Op dinsdag 14 april 2009 23:17 schreef Noshiba het volgende:
Wow, nooit geweten dat er echt zoveel jongeren bij zaten.

Ook die 2 zusjes, dat je gewoon een groot gedeelte van je familie verliest in zo'n ramp.

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Op dinsdag 15 april 2003 21:35 schreef Doc het volgende:
Jon-Paul Gilhooley (10)

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Op dinsdag 14 april 2009 23:20 schreef Dr.Daggla het volgende:

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Dat was het neefje van Gerrard hoorde ik gister. .

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Op dinsdag 14 april 2009 23:19 schreef mcyodogg het volgende:
Raadsel dat niemand ter verantwoording geroepen is.

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Op woensdag 15 april 2009 19:23 schreef Roel_Jewel het volgende:
Wederom kippenvel bij de beelden. Van toen en van vandaag.

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Op woensdag 6 augustus 2003 13:25 schreef DIGGER het volgende:

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Ik heb toen alles bijna ademloos voor de TV gezien, dit was toch 1 van de eerste grote voetbalrampen die live op TV te volgen was.

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Op donderdag 16 april 2009 10:57 schreef sezten het volgende:
Godver hé, so fucking care
Het is erg wat er toen is gebeurd maar dat Man Utd en Chelsea en Arsenal (allemaal toch?) met rouwbanden gaan spelen Ik snap het niet hoor.

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Op donderdag 16 april 2009 10:57 schreef sezten het volgende:
Godver hé, so fucking care
Het is erg wat er toen is gebeurd maar dat Man Utd en Chelsea en Arsenal (allemaal toch?) met rouwbanden gaan spelen Ik snap het niet hoor.

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Op donderdag 16 april 2009 10:57 schreef sezten het volgende:
Godver hé, so fucking care
Het is erg wat er toen is gebeurd maar dat Man Utd en Chelsea en Arsenal (allemaal toch?) met rouwbanden gaan spelen Ik snap het niet hoor.

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Op donderdag 16 april 2009 10:57 schreef sezten het volgende:
Godver hé, so fucking care
Het is erg wat er toen is gebeurd maar dat Man Utd en Chelsea en Arsenal (allemaal toch?) met rouwbanden gaan spelen Ik snap het niet hoor.

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Op donderdag 16 april 2009 11:26 schreef sezten het volgende:
Leg het mij uit dan. You bet i'm serious.