Liverpool will fall silent today for a minute today, traffic will stop in the Mersey tunnels, ferries will sound their horns and the town hall bells will toll 96 times, to mark the anniversary of the disaster at 3.06 today the time the FA Cup semi-final with Nottingham Forest at Hillsborough, was halted, that touched so many lives and changed the face of English football forever. .
Images of the victims printed on banners, along with the words Never Forgotten, have been put on display at the front of St George's Hall in the city. From Monday morning, 96 lanterns with lit candles will also be displayed on the steps of the hall, where members of the public will be able to pay their respects and leave tributes.
Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson, who will lay a wreath on behalf of the people of the city, said: "The 96 have never been forgotten and even though this city is divided by our footballing allegiances, we have been united in supporting the families and Hillsborough survivors for the past 30 years, and will continue to do so.
"St George's Hall is our city's gathering place, whether to celebrate or commemorate, and I can think of no better venue to host a temporary memorial."The banners adorned with the images of the 96 will be especially powerful, and the lanterns will serve as a reminder that this city will never forget them."
A memorial service is due to be held at Liverpool Cathedral at 2.45pm. The Kop at Anfield will be open between 1pm and 4pm for anyone who would like to sit for a period of reflection.
Liverpool FC paid tribute to the 96 during their 2-0 victory against Chelsea on Sunday, holding banners and flying flags in commemoration. Other clubs and players, including former Liverpool forward Michael Owen, also paid tribute to those who died on social media.
Plans for a public commemoration event on the steps of St George's Hall were cancelled after a jury failed to reach a verdict in the trial of match commander David Duckenfield, who is charged with the gross negligence manslaughter. The Crown Prosecution Service has said it will seek a retrial, which Duckenfield is expected to oppose, at a hearing scheduled for 24 June.
The jury reached a a majority verdict to convict Graham Mackrell, Sheffield Wednesday’s then secretary and safety officer, of failing to take reasonable care of Liverpool supporters’ safety, by allocating only seven turnstiles for 10,100 people with tickets to stand on the Leppings Lane terrace at Hillsborough.
The offence, under the 1974 Health and Safety at Work Act, is punishable by a fine. Mackrell, who sought in his defence to blame Liverpool supporters for the dangerous congestion that developed at the turnstiles, will be sentenced on 13 May.
Of the 96 people who died, 37 were teenagers, most still at school, many attending their first ever away football match supporting Liverpool. Seven of the dead were girls and women, including one mother, Inger Shah, whose children Becky and Daniel were teenagers at the time. Twenty-five were fathers; altogether, 58 people lost a parent in the disaster.
Former Chelsea star Pat Nevin was quick to remind, more than 96 lives were irreparably damaged on that day. Many survivors still struggle to come to terms with the mental and physical wounds of the incident. It's so horrible to think of going to a match and not returning, never mind it being covered up and being blamed for the tragedy as well. From the onset survivors of Hillsborough spoke of how they were intimidated and threatened by police and left feeling traumatised, accused of wasting police time because they did not like their evidence, because it did not fit into their versions of the event.
The Police, the Conservative Government of the time, the Stadium management and the press, all colluded to keep us from what actually happened at the tragedy that was Hillsborough, they were lied about, especially by the police, the scum newspaper, the dead were vilified and labelled, and demonised. Thatcher's Conservative Government created a culture of impunity, who needed a partisan police force, because they wanted to protect their own self interests Remember too, that 164 police officers lied, 14 of whom were awarded millions of pounds of compensation between them, the Hillsborough familres have not recieved a penny. Also since this terrible occasion some Police Officers were even promoted to senior positions.
The propaganda pumped out in the first two years after the disaster coloured public opinion. The Scum newspapers ‘The Truth’ headline, falsely pointing the finger at Liverpool fans, set the tone. The coroner’s dismissive verdict was an official endorsement of the lies. The dead, their fellow supporters who tried to save them and the bereaved were dehumanised, demonised and dismissed with the complicity of the state, .the Police, the Conservative Government of the time, the Stadium management and the press, all of whom colluded to keep us from what actually happened at the tragedy that was Hillsborough.
Kevin McKenzie editor of the Scum at the time , sanctimonious git supremeo, sanctioned the making up of 'quotes' he then repeated the same lies time and time and again, a pathetic , wretched individual who only made half apologies in order to further his own self interests. Shame , shame, shame.
Because of this, The S*n, as it is referred to in Liverpool, became an instant target. 30 years on and the paper remains unwelcome in the city, the effect of which has led to big supermarkets and small newsagents all over no longer stocking it. Remembrance is thus not only conducted as a vigil for the lives lost, nor the want for it to be rubber stamped in the history books. It is an inherently political act and one which seeks to build solidarity with campaigns fought on similar lines elsewhere.
Margaret Aspinall, the chair of the Hillsborough Family Support Group, whose son James, 18, was one of the 96 people killed, said the 30th anniversary would be overshadowed by the ongoing legal proceedings. She said: “We lost our loved ones at a football match, then for 30 years we’ve lived in the past. It has taken a huge toll on all the families. There are children born since, even grandchildren, and all they have ever known is Hillsborough.”
Is crucial that there is accountability and transparency in public life. At a time when members of the Government flippantly spread misinformation and lies because it suits their political viewpoint, the search for the truth is more important than ever. 30 years on it is only natural for people to pursue justice. On this raw emotional day the memory of the 96 will not be forgotten. My thoughts remain with the survivors and those affected by the tragedy as the city of Liverpool comes together to mark this sad occasion.
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