Hillsborough, 30 years of a painful memory

This time the date almost coincided with a game at Anfield. On Sunday, the Liverpool stadium became a living tribute with a heartfelt minute of silence and a spectacular mosaic to show that the club and the city have not forgotten. 

Steps have been taken to try to purge responsibility, but the last court hearings also failed to provide clarity, something the victims' relatives and friends had hoped for. 

The tragedy of Hillsborough, in which 96 people died, is still very much at the heart of English football. Liverpool and Nothingham Forest met in one of the semi-finals of the FA Cup. The stands far exceeded their permitted capacity and during the match there was an avalanche in the stands of Leppings Lane.

The images are still hard to digest after 30 years. Desolation took hold of the pitch, which was filled with people, many of them buried under the fences and hundreds of fans.

Quite a few fans died of asphyxiation, and the final death count was close to the hundreds. In addition, more than 700 people were injured. 

The families of the victims are still waiting for more concrete answers. Indeed, as recently as June last year, six people were charged with a tragedy that cannot be forgotten.

One of them, David Duckenfield, suspected of negligent manslaughter, was recently tried, but the jury found could not make a decision and his guilt was left unclear. 

 

April 14, 2019