NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Hillsborough disaster

The Hillsborough disaster was a deadly human crush that occurred on April 15, 1989, at Hillsborough, a football stadium in Sheffield, England resulting in the deaths of 96 people (all fans of Liverpool Football Club). Image File history File links Hillsborough_disaster_main. ... Image File history File links Hillsborough_disaster_main. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2048x1536, 431 KB)[edit] Summary Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2048x1536, 431 KB)[edit] Summary Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1. ... A stampede is an act of mass impulse among herd animals or a crowd of people in which the herd (or crowd) collectively begins running with no clear direction or purpose. ... is the 105th day of the year (106th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar). ... Hillsborough Stadium is the home of Sheffield Wednesday Football Club in Sheffield, England. ... A player (wearing the red kit) has penetrated the defence (in the white kit) and is taking a shot at goal. ... The new Wembley Stadium in London is the most expensive stadium ever built; it has a seating capacity of 90,000 This article is about the building type. ... For other uses, see Sheffield (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... Liverpool Football Club is the most successful English football team, having won 4 European Cups and 18 league (English Premier League, formerly First Division) titles. ...

The inquiry into the disaster, the Taylor Report, named the cause as failure of police control, and resulted in the conversion of many football stadiums in the United Kingdom to all-seater and the removal of barriers at the front of stands. The Taylor Report is a document, whose development was overseen by Lord Justice Taylor, concerning the aftermath and causes of the Hillsborough disaster in 1989. ...

Pre Hillsborough Disaster

At the time, most stadiums had placed high steel fencing between the spectators and the pitch, in response to hooliganism which had plagued the sport for years.^[1] Hooliganism was particularly virulent in England, where it often involved pitch invasions and/or the throwing of a variety of missiles. British stadia had a history of crushes occurring since the 1960s.^[2] A football field is the playing surface for the game of football (soccer). ... Football hooliganism (sometimes described as the English Disease) is hooliganism by football club supporters. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... A pitch invasion occurs when a crowd of people who are watching a sports game run onto the field, to celebrate or protest about an incident, for example in games of football or cricket. ...

Hillsborough Stadium was a regular venue for FA Cup semi-finals during the 1980s hosting a total of 5 . A previous crush had occurred in the same stand during the 1981 semi-final between Tottenham Hotspur and Wolverhampton Wanderers causing a total of 38 injuries.^[2] This prompted Sheffield Wednesday to alter the design of the Leppings Lane end, dividing it into 3 separate pens. This was further divided into five pens when Wednesday were promoted to the First Division in 1984.^[3] Liverpool and Nottingham Forest had also met at the semi-final stage of the same competition at the same ground the previous year without incident. Tottenham Hotspur F.C. is a North London association football team, also known by the nickname Spurs. ... Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. is a Wolverhampton-based football club playing at Molineux. ...

The disaster

Build up

Hillsborough Stadium was segregated between the opposing fans as was customary at all large matches, the Liverpool supporters being assigned to the Leppings Lane End of the stadium. Kick-off was scheduled for 3.00pm with fans advised to take up their seats 15 minutes before hand. Image File history File links Hillsborough_disaster_outside. ... Image File history File links Hillsborough_disaster_outside. ... Hillsborough Stadium is the home of Sheffield Wednesday Football Club in Sheffield, England. ... Fans of Janet Jackson, at Much Music in Toronto The word fan refers to someone who has an intense, occasionally overwhelming liking of a person, group of persons, work of art, idea, or trend. ...

Between 2.30pm and 2.40pm there was a considerable build-up of fans in the small area outside the turnstile entrances to the Leppings Lane End, all eager to enter the stadium quickly before the match started.^[3] A bottleneck developed with more fans arriving than were able to enter the stadium. With an estimated 5,000 fans trying to get through the turnstiles and increasing security concerns over crushing outside the turnstiles, the police decided to open up a set of gates, intended as an exit, which did not have turnstiles (Gate C). This caused a rush of supporters through the gate into the stadium. This article is about the pedestrian gate. ... A bottleneck is literally the neck of a glass or pottery bottle. ...

The crush

The resulting influx of thousands of fans through a narrow tunnel at the rear of the terrace and into the already overcrowded central two pens caused a huge crush at the front of the terrace, where people were being pressed up against the fencing by the weight of the crowd behind them. The people entering were unaware of the problems being experienced at the fence — police or stewards would normally stand at the entrance to the tunnel if these central pens had reached capacity and would direct fans to the side pens, but on this occasion did not, for reasons which have never been completely explained.

For some time the problem at the front was not noticed by anybody other than those affected; the match had already started and most people were absorbed by that. It was not until 3:06pm that the referee, after being advised by the police, stopped the match several minutes after fans had started climbing the fence to escape the crush. By this time a small gate in the fencing had been forced open and some fans escaped the crush by this route — others climbed over the fencing, and further fans were pulled up to safety by fellow fans into the West Stand directly above the Leppings Lane terrace.

Fans were packed so tightly in the pens that many died standing up. The pitch quickly started to fill with people sweating and gasping for breath, those with crush injuries, and with the bodies of the dead. The police, stewards and ambulance service present at the stadium were overwhelmed. Other fans helped as best they could, many attempting CPR and some tearing down advertising hoardings to act as makeshift stretchers. Image File history File links Hillsborough_disaster. ... Image File history File links Hillsborough_disaster. ... For other meanings of CPR, see CPR (disambiguation). ...

As these events happened some police officers were still being deployed to make a cordon 3/4 of way down the pitch dimensions and markings of the pitch, with the aim of preventing Liverpool supporters reaching the Nottingham Forest fans at the opposite end of the stadium. Some fans attempted to break through the police cordon to ferry injured supporters to waiting ambulances, and were forcibly turned back. A football field is the playing surface for the game of football (soccer). ...

Aftermath

A total of 94 people died on the day, with 766 other fans receiving various injuries. The death toll reached 95 four days later, when 14-year-old Lee Nicol died in hospital from his injuries. The final death toll became 96 in March 1993, when Tony Bland died after remaining in a coma for nearly four years. April 18 is the 108th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (109th in leap years). ... March is the third month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ... Year 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar). ... Anthony David (Tony) Bland (21 September 1970 - 3 March 1993) was a supporter of Liverpool football club injured in the Hillsborough disaster. ...

Graphic television footage of the disaster was shown live on BBC Television's Grandstand as the tragedy was unfolding and this, along with the large number of fatalities, made an extreme emotional impact on the general British population. BBC Television is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation which began in 1932. ... Grandstand is a British television sport programme, and is one of the BBCs longest running sports shows, alongside BBC Sports Personality of the Year. ...

A permanent tribute to those who lost their lives can be found alongside the Shankly Gates at Anfield, home stadium of Liverpool F.C. A further tribute was set up in 1999 at Hillsborough stadium itself. There is also a memorial stone in the pavement on the south side of Liverpool Cathedral. The tone or style of this article or section may not be appropriate for Wikipedia. ... This article is about the football stadium. ... North elevation of Liverpool Anglican Cathedral. ...

The Taylor Inquiry

Following the disaster, Lord Justice Taylor was appointed to conduct an inquiry into the disaster. Taylor's inquiry sat for thirty-one days and published two reports, one interim report that laid out the events of the day and immediate conclusions and one final report that made general recommendations on football ground safety. This became known as the Taylor Report.^[4] As a result of the report, fences in front of fans were removed and many of the top stadiums were converted to become all-seated.^[5] The Taylor Report is a document, whose development was overseen by Lord Justice Taylor, concerning the aftermath and causes of the Hillsborough disaster in 1989. ... Image File history File links Hillsborough_disaster_aftermath. ... Image File history File links Hillsborough_disaster_aftermath. ... Peter Murray Taylor, Baron Taylor of Gosforth PC (May 1, 1930 - April 28, 1997) was the Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales from 1992 until his premature retirement due to poor health in 1996. ...

Police control

There was considerable debate over some aspects of the disaster; in particular, attention was focused on the decision to open the secondary gates. It was suggested that it would have been better to delay the start of the match as had often been done at other venues and matches. In defence the police claimed that they were concerned that the crush outside the stadium was getting out of control and accusations were made that some Liverpool fans did not have tickets and were trying to force the turnstiles. Other accusations of misbehaviour were made in relation to the crowd. However, no substantial evidence was presented to support any of these claims, with Lord Justice Taylor making particular effort to refute them in his interim report.

Stadium design

Although it was noted that Hillsborough was considered "one of the best in the country", Sheffield Wednesday were criticised for the low number of turnstiles at the Leppings Lane end and the poor quality of the crush barriers on the terraces there. The Taylor Report however stated that the official cause of the disaster was the failure of police control. Due to the low number of turnstiles it has been estimated that it would have taken until 3.40pm to get all ticket holders in to the Leppings Lane end had an exit gate not been opened. Gate C was opened to let more fans in, however the total number of fans entering the terrace is not thought to have been more than the capacity of the standing area.

The disaster was caused by the fact that the majority of fans entering the terraces headed for the central pens 3 and 4. Normally a police officer or steward would direct fans away from full pens, but on the day this did not happen. The official capacity of these pens was around 2000, however the Health and Safety Executive later found that this should have been reduced to around 1600 as the crush barriers did not conform to the Guide to Safety at Sports Grounds 1986. It is estimated that the number of people in these pens shortly after kick off at 3.00pm was over 3000. This overcrowding caused the fatal crush.^[6]^[7] The Health and Safety Executive (HSE), reporting to the Health and Safety Commission, is the British government body responsible for the regulation of risks to health and safety in the UK. It was created as a result of the Health and Safety at Work, etc, Act 1974, and has since...

Other aggravating factors

There were accusations that the behaviour of the Liverpool fans contributed to the disaster. These centred around consumption of alcohol before the game and attempts to enter the ground without a ticket. Although Lord Taylor acknowledged that these aggravated the situation they were only minor factors.

Witness estimates of the number of fans that were drunk varied from a minority to the large proportion of the crowd. Although it was clear that many fans had been drinking, Lord Taylor stated that most of them "were not drunk nor even the worse for drink". He concluded that they only formed an exacerbating factor.

The possibility of fans attempting to gain entry without tickets or with forgeries contributing to the disaster was also suggested. South Yorkshire police also suggested that the late arrival of fans amounted to a conspiracy in order to gain entry without tickets. Analysis of the electronic monitoring system, Health and Safety Executive Analysis and eye witness accounts however showed that there was not an excessively large number of ticketless fans. The report dismissed the conspiracy theory.

Prosecution

A private prosecution was brought against David Duckenfield and another officer on duty, Bernard Murray. Prosecutor Alun Jones QC told the court that Chief Superintendent David Duckenfield gave the order to open gates that allowed hundreds of fans to flood on to the already crowded terraces at the Sheffield Wednesday stadium. But minutes after the disaster, in which 89 fans were crushed to death, he "deceitfully and dishonestly" told senior FA officials that the supporters had forced the gate open themselves, Mr Jones said. Duckenfield admitted that he had lied about certain statements regarding the causes of the disaster. Several other officers including Norman Bettison were accused of manipulating evidence. Bettison was later to be appointed Chief Constable of Merseyside in controversial circumstances. The prosecution was abandoned when Duckenfield's doctor declared him unfit to stand trial due to illness. Because he was unavailable, it was decided that it would be unfair to proceed with the charges against Bernard Murray. Duckenfield took medical retirement on a full Police pension. ^[8]^[9]^[10] Merseyside is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1,365,900. ...

The Sun newspaper controversy

On the Wednesday following the disaster, Kelvin MacKenzie, then editor of The Sun, a British tabloid newspaper with national distribution owned by Rupert Murdoch, used the front page headline 'THE TRUTH', with three sub-headlines: 'Some fans picked pockets of victims'; 'Some fans urinated on the brave cops'; 'Some fans beat up PC giving kiss of life'. Image File history File links Hillsborough_disaster_Sun. ... Image File history File links Hillsborough_disaster_Sun. ... Kelvin Calder MacKenzie (born October 22, 1946) is a British media executive and former newspaper editor. ... This article is about a British tabloid. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Keith Rupert Murdoch AC, KCSG (born 11 March 1931) is an Australian born United States citizen who is a global media executive and is the controlling shareholder, chairman and managing director of News Corporation, based in New York. ...

The story accompanying these headlines claimed that 'drunken Liverpool fans viciously attacked rescue workers as they tried to revive victims' and 'police officers, firemen and ambulance crew were punched, kicked and urinated upon'. A quote, attributed to an unnamed policeman, claimed that a dead girl had been abused and that Liverpool fans 'were openly urinating on us and the bodies of the dead'.

Following The Sun's report, the newspaper was boycotted by most newsagents in Liverpool, with many refusing to stock the tabloid and large numbers of readers cancelling orders and refusing to buy from shops which did stock the newspaper. The Hillsborough Justice Campaign also organised a national boycott which was less successful, but certainly hit the paper's sales which some commentators^[11] have given as a cause for a constant drop in price, introduction of free magazines, videos and free soft porn DVDs offers.^[12] For other uses, see Liverpool (disambiguation). ... Erotica, from the Greek eros, love, are works of art, including literature, photography, sculpture and painting, that deal substantively with erotically stimulating or arousing descriptions. ...

MacKenzie explained his reporting in 1993. Talking to a House of Commons National Heritage Select Committee he said "I regret Hillsborough. It was a fundamental mistake. The mistake was I believed what an MP said. It was a Tory MP. If he had not said it and the chief superintendent (David Duckenfield) had not agreed with it, we would not have gone with it." MacKenzie would repudiate this apology in November 2006, saying that he only apologised because the newspaper's owner Rupert Murdoch ordered him to. He said "I was not sorry then and I'm not sorry now" for the paper's coverage. ^[13] MacKenzie refused again to apologise when appearing on the BBC's topical Question Time on 11th January 2007. [1] Type Lower House Speaker of the House of Commons Leader of the House of Commons Michael Martin, (Non-affiliated) since October 23, 2000 Harriet Harman, QC, (Labour) since June 28, 2007 Shadow Leader of the House of Commons Theresa May, PC, (Conservative) since December 6, 2005 Members 646 Political groups... A Select Committee is a committee made up of a small number of parliamentary members appointed to deal with particular areas or issues originating in the Westminster System of parliamentary democracy. ... A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a parliament. ... The Conservative Party (officially the Conservative and Unionist Party) is currently the second largest political party in the United Kingdom in terms of sitting Members of Parliament (MPs), the largest in terms of public membership, and the oldest political party in the United Kingdom. ... Chief Superintendent (Ch Supt/CSP; colloquially Chief Super) is a senior rank in the Police Forces. ... Keith Rupert Murdoch AC, KCSG (born 11 March 1931) is an Australian born United States citizen who is a global media executive and is the controlling shareholder, chairman and managing director of News Corporation, based in New York. ...

The Sun itself issued an apology "without reservation" in a full page opinion piece on 7 July 2004, saying that it had "committed the most terrible mistake in its history." The Sun was responding to the intense criticism of Wayne Rooney, a Liverpool-born football star who then still played in the city (for Everton), who had sold his life story to the newspaper. Rooney's actions had incensed Liverpudlians still angry at The Sun. The Sun's apology was somewhat bullish, saying that the "campaign of hate" against Rooney was organised in part by the Liverpool Daily Post & Echo, owned by Trinity Mirror, who also own the Daily Mirror, arch-rivals of The Sun. Thus the apology actually served to anger some Liverpudlians further. The Liverpool Echo itself did not accept the apology, calling it "shabby" and "an attempt, once again, to exploit the Hillsborough dead." Look up editorial, op-ed in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... is the 188th day of the year (189th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Everton Football Club is an English football club located in the city of Liverpool. ... Liverpool waterfront by night, as seen from the Wirral. ... The Liverpool Echo and Liverpool Daily Post are two newspapers published by Trinity Mirror on Merseyside in the United Kingdom. ... Trinity Mirror is a large United Kingdom newspaper and magazine publisher. ... Alternate newspaper: The Daily Mirror (Australia) The Daily Mirror is a popular British tabloid daily newspaper. ...

Some other newspapers also detailed the same allegations on the same day, which apparently originated from a source within South Yorkshire Police attempting to divert blame, but The Sun attracted particular opprobrium for its use of the huge "THE TRUTH" headline and its subsequent refusal to issue an apology, something the other newspapers were quick to do. South Yorkshire Police is the police force covering South Yorkshire in England. ...

On 6 January 2007, during their team's FA Cup defeat to Arsenal at Anfield, Liverpool fans in The Kop held up coloured cards spelling out "The Truth" and chanted "Justice for the 96" for 6 minutes at the start of the game. The protest was directed at both Kelvin MacKenzie and the The Sun, as well as the BBC for employing MacKenzie as a presenter. is the 6th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... This article is about the English FA Cup. ... Arsenal Football Club (also known as Arsenal, The Arsenal or The Gunners) are an English professional football club based in Holloway, north London. ... This article is about the football stadium. ... Liverpool Football Club are an English professional football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside, who play in the Premier League; they are historically the most successful club in the history of English football, having won more trophies than any other English club. ... Kelvin Calder MacKenzie (born October 22, 1946) is a British media executive and former newspaper editor. ... This article is about a British tabloid. ... For other uses, see BBC (disambiguation). ...

To this day, many people in the Liverpool area refuse to buy The Sun as a matter of principle, and the paper's sales figures within Merseyside have been very poor since the day the original story was printed - as of 2004, the circulation in Liverpool was down to 12,000 copies a day, 200,000 fewer than previously.^[14] Merseyside is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1,365,900. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The Reaction of other Clubs

The Hillsborough disaster did not only touch clubs in England but the disaster was known worldwide and touched clubs around the world.

On 19th April 1989 (the following Wednesday of the disaster), a European Cup semi final between AC Milan and Real Madrid was played. The referee blew his whistle 6 minutes into the game to stop play and hold a minute's silence for those who lost their lives tragically at Hillsborough. About 20 seconds into the silence the Milan fans on the Curva Sud began to sing Liverpool's anthem "You'll Never Walk Alone" as a tribute to those who died. This is a gesture that Liverpool fans will never forget and there is great respect between Liverpool and AC Milan since that night. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZrVfMRyoE0 AC Milan is an Italian football club. ... Real Madrid Club de FÃºtbol is a Spanish sports club most widely known for its professional football team based in Madrid. ... Youll Never Walk Alone is a song written by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II for their 1945 musical, Carousel. ...

"Hillsborough" television drama

In 1996, the ITV television network in the United Kingdom screened a 90-minute one-off drama-documentary recounting the events of the disaster, written by the acclaimed Liverpudlian scriptwriter Jimmy McGovern, who had previously been responsible for hard-hitting television productions such as Cracker. The disaster is also central to the plot of To Be A Somebody, the opening story of the second series of Cracker. Independent Television (generally known as ITV, but also as ITV Network) is a public service network of British commercial television broadcasters, set up under the Independent Television Authority (ITA) to provide competition to the BBC. ITV is the oldest commercial television network in the UK. Since 1990 and the Broadcasting... It has been suggested that Drama Documentary be merged into this article or section. ... Jimmy McGovern (born 1949 in Liverpool, England, UK) is a British television scriptwriter, known for his powerful and thought-provoking dramas often based around hard-hitting social issues or controversial real-life events. ... Cracker is the title of a television crime series in the United Kingdom, made by Granada Television for ITV and created and principally written by Jimmy McGovern. ...

Produced for the network by Granada Television and titled simply Hillsborough, the drama starred Christopher Eccleston as Trevor Hicks, whose story formed the focus of the script. Hicks lost two teenage daughters in the disaster and went on to campaign for safer stadiums, as well as helping form the Hillsborough Families Support Group. It drew much praise for its sensitive handling of the subject matter, paying homage to those killed and not exploiting them. In 1997 it was awarded both the British Academy of Film and Television Arts and the Royal Television Society awards for Best Single Drama (TV) and was listed by the British Film Institute as #54 in its 100 Greatest British Television Programmes, published in 2000. The programme inspired the Manic Street Preachers song "S.Y.M.M. (South Yorkshire Mass Murderer)" on the album This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours. ^[15] This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Christopher Eccleston (born 16 February 1964) is an English stage, television and film actor. ... BAFTA Award The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), is a British organisation that hosts annual awards shows for film, television, childrens film and television, and interactive media. ... The Royal Television Society is a British-based society for the discussion, analysis and preservation of television in all its forms, past, present and future. ... The British Film Institute (BFI) is a charitable organisation established by Royal Charter to encourage the development of the arts of film, television and the moving image throughout the United Kingdom, to promote their use as a record of contemporary life and manners, to promote education about film, television and... 100 Greatest British Television Programmes was a list compiled in 2000 by the British Film Institute (BFI) chosen by a poll of industry professionals, to determine what were the greatest British television programmes of any genre ever to have been screened. ... Manic Street Preachers (often known colloquially as The Manics) are a Welsh rock band often associated with the Britpop scene, who gained mainstream popularity in the UK in the late 1990s. ... This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours is an album by the Manic Street Preachers. ...

Psychiatric injury claims

Various negligence cases were brought against the police by spectators who had been at the ground on the day, but had not been in the pens, and by people who had watched the incident unfolding on television (or heard about it on the radio). The case was eventually appealed to the House of Lords and is an important milestone in the law of claims for negligently inflicted psychiatric injury. The case is Alcock and Others v Chief Constable of South Yorkshire Police [1991] WLR 1057. This article is about the British House of Lords. ...

First new all seater stadium

Millwall's New Den Stadium, opened in 1993, was the first new all-seater stadium to be built in England and Wales. All new stadiums built since then have been all-seater, with Chester City's Deva Stadium (1992) being the last new stadium to feature standing accommodation. Millwall Football Club are an English professional football team based at the New Den Stadium in Bermondsey, South East London. ... The New Den is the home of Millwall F.C. It is situated in Millwall, South London, almost directly adjacent to the railway line between London Bridge and New Cross Gate. ... Year 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar). ... For the Local Government District of Chester, see Chester (district). ... The Saunders Honda Stadium (formerly the Deva Stadium) is a football (soccer) stadium in Chester, UK and the current home of Football League Two team Chester City. ... Year 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar). ...

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