RIP the 96
Literally millions of pages have been written about the Hillsborough disaster over the years, and I, a child at the time and not connected to the club or any of the victims in any way, am not going to wade into the debate. There would be no point.
And yet, inevitably for the time of year, there've been a few swipes at Liverpool and, worse, at the victims' families, over the last few days, notably over Liverpool's insistence that they would not - ever - play a match on 15th April. The forums, Twitter and the like were full of arrogance and ignorance, the "Time to move on", brigade. One even accused Liverpool fans as being "the ultimate grief tourists" and told them to "get over it." Interestingly for me, as a Bradford fan, comparisons were made with the Bradford fire. We, critics pointed out, play on 11th May. Why shouldn't they play on 15th April?
Read the second account, from the ambulanceman, in this article. As well as being an appalling tragedy, there is such terrible injustice still surrounding Hillsborough, and unanswered questions even to this day. Bradford fans know that, even though there were mistakes (most notably the gates at the back of the stand were chained shut, making exit impossible) everything was done to maximise survival and help the injured when the dreadful fire happened. Familes of those who died at Hillsborough, though, faced lies, accusations, cover-ups, and, in many cases, the terrible knowledge that mismanagement before, during and after the disaster (the ambulances not being allowed onto the pitch) meant that loved ones who could have been saved had perished. To me, reading about Hillsborough from an objective point of view (I watched it on television at the time but have come back to the facts, accounts and speculations later in life) as a football fan, a Christian and, most of all, a human being, what strikes me and makes me physically weep is the apparent disregard given for human life that day, and the lack of respect paid to the victims both that afternoon and the days that followed. The stab of insensitivity shocks me now, so I dread to think how those directly involved feel about it.
Someone on one of the forums pointed out that they would not be taking note of Hillsborough, because it's 100 years since the sinking of the Titanic today, and the greater loss of life there (1517 compared to 96) is "surely more important". This is not true. Every life is as important as the next, however it is lost. The volume of lives lost in a single incident is a red herring. Nobody should have died on the Titanic. Nobody should have died at Hillsborough.
It is not up to you or I to tell people to "move on" - this is arrogance of the worst order. It is the role of every citizen to always strive for justice, to comfort and support those in need, and to be sensitive, gentle and understanding. I think we have indeed "moved on" from the fire, but I will not accept this fact as some kind of accolade, holding us up as some paragon fanbase. That is a simplistic reading of it, and offensive to both clubs. We will remember our dead on 11th, with memorials and in our prayers. I will continue to raise money for the Burns Unit at the BUPA 10K in May. But today, I will spare a thought for Liverpool - the club and the city - and say a prayer for the 96, and for the families and friends still fighting. May they all find peace one day.
RIP the 96 x
And yet, inevitably for the time of year, there've been a few swipes at Liverpool and, worse, at the victims' families, over the last few days, notably over Liverpool's insistence that they would not - ever - play a match on 15th April. The forums, Twitter and the like were full of arrogance and ignorance, the "Time to move on", brigade. One even accused Liverpool fans as being "the ultimate grief tourists" and told them to "get over it." Interestingly for me, as a Bradford fan, comparisons were made with the Bradford fire. We, critics pointed out, play on 11th May. Why shouldn't they play on 15th April?
Read the second account, from the ambulanceman, in this article. As well as being an appalling tragedy, there is such terrible injustice still surrounding Hillsborough, and unanswered questions even to this day. Bradford fans know that, even though there were mistakes (most notably the gates at the back of the stand were chained shut, making exit impossible) everything was done to maximise survival and help the injured when the dreadful fire happened. Familes of those who died at Hillsborough, though, faced lies, accusations, cover-ups, and, in many cases, the terrible knowledge that mismanagement before, during and after the disaster (the ambulances not being allowed onto the pitch) meant that loved ones who could have been saved had perished. To me, reading about Hillsborough from an objective point of view (I watched it on television at the time but have come back to the facts, accounts and speculations later in life) as a football fan, a Christian and, most of all, a human being, what strikes me and makes me physically weep is the apparent disregard given for human life that day, and the lack of respect paid to the victims both that afternoon and the days that followed. The stab of insensitivity shocks me now, so I dread to think how those directly involved feel about it.
Someone on one of the forums pointed out that they would not be taking note of Hillsborough, because it's 100 years since the sinking of the Titanic today, and the greater loss of life there (1517 compared to 96) is "surely more important". This is not true. Every life is as important as the next, however it is lost. The volume of lives lost in a single incident is a red herring. Nobody should have died on the Titanic. Nobody should have died at Hillsborough.
It is not up to you or I to tell people to "move on" - this is arrogance of the worst order. It is the role of every citizen to always strive for justice, to comfort and support those in need, and to be sensitive, gentle and understanding. I think we have indeed "moved on" from the fire, but I will not accept this fact as some kind of accolade, holding us up as some paragon fanbase. That is a simplistic reading of it, and offensive to both clubs. We will remember our dead on 11th, with memorials and in our prayers. I will continue to raise money for the Burns Unit at the BUPA 10K in May. But today, I will spare a thought for Liverpool - the club and the city - and say a prayer for the 96, and for the families and friends still fighting. May they all find peace one day.
RIP the 96 x
Labels: football
posted by RLS at 11:52 am
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home