by Amelia Hampson
Thirty-Five years since the Hillsborough disaster took place and the innocent lives that were took, families that were affected and survivors are all in the hearts of Liverpudlians today. In respect for the lives that were lost, the radio city tower in the city centre has the number 97 on it for the number of people that were took from loved ones in the disaster.
Peter Jackson, the chief executive of Hill Dickinson in Liverpool was at the game and represented the Football Supporters Association at Lord Justice Taylor’s inquiry into the disaster in 1989. Lord Taylor’s interim report shifted any blame away from the families and focused more on the immediate cause of the disaster which was the failure to cut off access to the central pens after gate C was opened. This the caused the overcrowding causing the 97 deaths and many injuries.
Peter Jackson said: “I didn’t think the families who lost their loved ones in the tragic incident would still be fighting for justice 35 years on, and that we’d still be dealing with the aftermath of the significant cover up made by authorities.”
Jackson believes that the police and the authorities were not held accountable for the death of the people that were crushed and the blame was pointed to the fans to start off with but Jackson who was there knew who to point the blame to. All these years later the lives of the innocent have still not been justified from the poor decisions from authorities and was the worse operational order and police tactics for a football match.
Jackson said: “we didn’t know until relatively recently the level of coverup that was put in place by south Yorkshire police and how many pieces of evidence was kept out the public domain for so long.”
Many people have gone to Anfield today to pay their respects alongside Liverpool FC players, laying photos and flowers on the floor to show the loss and that the city of Liverpool is still grieving.
Mersey Focus 