It’s once again time to stand up to smears and lies and insist on the truth, writes Ian Byrne MP, as Liverpool fans are once again wrongly blamed by authorities

I am a survivor of the 1989 Hillsborough disaster in which 97 Liverpool fans were unlawfully killed in a crush at the FA Cup semi-final in Sheffield.

 I also attended the final in Paris and witnessed first-hand the shocking and appalling stadium management outside the Stade de France. This included the funnelling of Liverpool fans into a dangerous bottleneck and crush and the indiscriminate teargassing and pepper-spraying of Liverpool and Real Madrid fans – men, women, children and disabled people with match tickets who were simply queueing to gain entry to the stadium.

Many fans made their way to the ground as much as three-and-a-half hours before kick-off. Nonetheless the chaos outside led to the match being delayed by 36 minutes and UEFA initially blamed this on the late arrival of fans, beaming this message to a worldwide TV audience of millions via the large billboards inside the stadium. This despite the fact that publicly available video footage and first-hand accounts from many journalists in the queues showed thousands of fans queuing for hours prior to the match. The UEFA claim of lateness was condemned by Merseyside Police officers working at the match who asserted that “fans did not arrive late”.

French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin later claimed there had been “industrial-scale” ticket fraud and that more than 30,000 Liverpool fans had fake tickets or no tickets outside the stadium. However, this was disputed by supporters and even Liverpool players who had given club-issued tickets to friends and family only for them to be denied entry. Mr Darmanin also said that only English fans had caused problems, an accusation which Liverpool Chief Executive Billy Hogan has described as “disgraceful”.

UEFA has since apologised for the problems experienced by fans outside the stadium, which is a welcome acknowledgement of the horrors suffered by both sets of supporters.

However this is not enough. We need a full public apology and retraction of the smears made about Liverpool and Real fans regarding the delayed kick-off. We also need to ensure that the inquiry requested by UEFA into the horrific events at the Stade De France is truly independent and engages with Liverpool Football Club, Liverpool Supporters Trust and Merseyside Police for input into the inquiry.

I witnessed first-hand the shambolic stadium management and the most hostile policing environment at a sporting event I have ever seen. It was the worst situation I’ve experienced at a football match since Hillsborough, and it could have been extremely serious with many lives lost. It was only the patience of Liverpool supporters that prevented a major tragedy occurring.

People might say it’s time to move on, just as they did after Hillsborough. But it isn’t. It’s once again time to stand up to smears and lies and insist on the truth. This is why:

I watched children being pepper sprayed. Pensioners being tear gassed. Turnstiles and exits shut as thousands queued for hours waiting to attend the blue-ribbon football event of the season. Customers paying hundreds of pounds to be in Paris for a memorable sporting occasion. Yet, just like in 1989, we were treated like animals simply for wanting to watch a game of football. And then came the smears and lies – again, straight out of the Hillsborough playbook. Liverpool fans once again being used by the authorities to avoid accountability of the horrific events they allowed to unfold.

 Never ever again, should this be tolerated in this country or round the globe. Enough is enough.

This week I have written to Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Nadine Dorries MP with the support of Parliamentary colleagues, to ask for an urgent meeting on the events around the Champions League Final. I am urging the Government to back our demands for a full apology, retraction and an independent investigation by the French authorities and UEFA. This follows on from a letter I wrote last week to the Chairs and all members of the French Senate Law and Culture Committees to remind them of their obligation to include representatives of Liverpool Disabled Supporters Association and Spirit of Shankly must be present at the hearings in Paris this week. I am delighted that my letter was helpful in ensuring that representatives of both organisations were invited to give evidence to the French Senate this week.

This is just the start of the fightback. There will be much work ahead to ensure we receive the full apology, retraction and independent inquiry we demand and deserve.

 

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Notes to editors

  • Liverpool West Derby MP Ian Byrne is a Hillsborough survivor and was present at the Champions League Final in Paris this year. He is pushing for a full apology and retraction by UEFA and the French authorities following the brutal treatment and smearing of Liverpool fans at the Champions League Final.

 

 

  • In March 2022 Ian Byrne MP was named MP of the Year at the prestigious Patchwork Foundation MP Awards. At a ceremony in Westminster hosted and presented by Patchwork Patron, Mr Speaker, Rt Hon Sir Lindsay Hoyle MP, Ian Byrne said he was “honoured and humbled” to win Overall MP of The Year, the foundation’s top honour. ianbyrne.org/news/west-derby-mp-ian-byrne-wins-prestigious-mp-of-the-year-award

 

  • Liverpool West Derby MP Ian Byrne launched the Real Truth Legacy Project in January 2022, which is a campaign to educate all generations about the ‘real truth’ and injustice of Hillsborough. You can find out more about the Real Truth Legacy Project here: ianbyrne.org/the-real-truth

 

  • On 26 January 2022 Liverpool became the first council to formally back the Real Truth Legacy Project when Liverpool city councillors passed a motion to roll out a dedicated education programme on Hillsborough and hold an annual ‘Hillsborough Day’ in all schools governed by the local education authority. The motion was passed unopposed by the council with full cross-party support.

 

 

 

 

 

Ian Byrne MP

Ian Robert Byrne is a British Labour Party politician. He has been the Member of Parliament for Liverpool West Derby since the 2019 general election. He is a member of the Socialist Campaign Group parliamentary caucus.