Thatcher And The 96

On April 15, 1989, 96 soccer fans were killed and over 700 were injured when Yorkshire police opened three exit gates in the visitors’ stands at Hillsborough Stadium. The police opened the gates because of the large crowd of Liverpool supporters, and failed to control the crowd who rushed the stands. At the time tall fencing often stood between the stands and the pitches. Spectators were being crushed and were suffocating in the crowd, fans tried to climb over the fencing, and other fans in the stadium tried to help only to be turned away by police. Police response was slow, and even though as many as 44 ambulances arrived, police only allowed one in.

When the Taylor Report placed the blame on the actions and lack of response by police, Margaret Thatcher wrote in a memo, “The broad thrust is devastating criticism of the police. Is that for us to welcome?” Thatcher was already an opponent of the soccer culture in Britain, having supported a ban on European play in the late 80’s, bans on visiting fans attending games, and cutting funding to extra-curricular sports programs. Thatcher believed the police’s story that Liverpool fans were drunk and unruly, some even speculating as a favor for the Yorkshire police’s actions during the 1984-85 Miners Strike. It wasn’t until September of last year that Prime Minister David Cameron apologized to the Liverpool supporters and family for the cover-up by Yorkshire police.

So it should be no surprise the English Premiere League did not require it’s clubs to hold a moment of silence this week, and it’ll be interesting to see if the next Liverpool match carries chants like this: