The British government on Wednesday apologized to the families of 97 Liverpool fans killed at Hillsborough Stadium 34 years ago, presenting a letter aimed at dramatically reducing the risk of others experiencing the same injustice.
However, it refused to support activists’ calls to legally oblige government agencies, including police, to tell the truth and proactively cooperate with official investigations and investigations in cases of public disasters.
The Hillsborough disaster in Sheffield occurred on 15 April 1989 and caused the deaths by crushing of 95 Liverpool fans and 766 injuries. Two others involved in the incident died the following year and in 2021.
With the Hillsborough Stadium, which has a capacity for 54,000 spectators, being almost full, more than 2,000 Liverpool fans going to watch the match with Nottingham Forest were allowed to invade an area behind a goal and open some gates to cut the flow. lighting caused the crushing.
An original inquest made verdicts of accidental death, which the victims’ families refused to accept.
These verdicts were overturned in 2012 after an extensive investigation into the disaster, which examined previously secret documents and revealed irregularities and errors by the police.
In 2016, a jury concluded that the victims had been “illegally murdered.”
The proposed Hillsborough Act would have included a “duty of candor” for government agencies and employees in such cases.
Instead, a Hillsborough Charter would require government agencies to tell the truth in the wake of public tragedies, regardless of the impact on their reputations.
The government said it was not aware of any gaps in legislation that could further promote a culture of openness between government agencies and their representatives.
The new letter comes six years after a report by James Jones, the former Bishop of Liverpool, who was tasked with drawing lessons from the disaster and subsequent cover-up.
Justice Minister Alex Chalk apologized on behalf of the government for the way the families have been treated over the decades and the delay in responding to the report.
‘This obviously does not provide closure for families’said Alex Chalk, adding “Grieving is indeed a journey without a destination, but today is a milestone on that journey”.
Hooliganism was widespread in English football in the 1980s, and immediate attempts were made to blame Liverpool fans and defend the police operation.
A false narrative blaming Liverpool’s drunk, rowdy and ticketless fans was created by the police, only to be reversed by the tireless campaign of relatives.
Organizations that have already signed the Hillsborough Charter include the National Police Chiefs’ Council, the College of Policing and the Crown Prosecution Service.
“The Hillsborough families have suffered multiple injustices: the loss of 97 lives, the guilt of fans and the inexcusable institutional defense by government agencies. I am deeply sorry for what they have experienced”said Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
Source: DN
