In the wake of weeks of PR turmoil for the Liverpool FC, with the Suarez race scandal and the abuse of a black player at Anfield confounded by a national press with an anti-Liverpool agenda, us fans did what we do best. We came together as one.
Anne Williams has been waiting 23 years for justice for her son, Kevin, who died needlessly at Hillsborough. The government’s e-petition scheme finally gave her the opportunity she needed to force those responsible for Kevin’s death to be held to account. Together, we have helped Anne take a big step along the road towards getting that justice.
The campaign started really slowly, with just a few thousand of the 100,000 signatures needed. Some notable journalists, like Tony Evans, were behind Anne’s quest for justice from the very start. However, the national media in general ignored it. Supporting Liverpool FC in the wake of all the scandal was not very fashionable on fleet street.
There are a lot of comments made mocking the so-called “LFC Family” on Twitter, but that is the best way to describe how thousands of Liverpool fans have united behind this common cause over the past week. Together, our voice was too loud to ignore and, slowly but surely, the mainstream media started to sit up and take notice.
Last night and this morning, watching as 60,000 names turned to 100,000 with breathtaking speed, I felt a sense of pride to be part of this family. When the chips are down, and the world is against us, we stand together as one. Bob Paisley, who knew the club and fans as well as anyone, summed it up perfectly when he said, “When you're lost in a fog you must stick together. Then you don't get lost. If there's one secret to Liverpool, that's it.”
Over the past week, we have shown that our spirit makes us truly unique. We’ve shown once again that together, Liverpool Football Club can achieve absolutely anything. Just like we did in Istanbul, just like we did in Rome. Just like we have done on countless occasions on the fields of Anfield Road. And just like we will do again.
For more information on why the fight for justice is so important, visit this website http://www.contrast.org/hillsborough/
Twitter: www.twitter.com/joescouse_lfc
Spot on Joe.
ReplyDelete@pkcarpenter
So f**king proud to be a Red today. (And the father of a Red too.)
ReplyDeleteI am delighted that the petition reached 100,000. I signed it and supported it. A few points though. Although I agree the media has overlooked this issue and non-LFC fans have been turned off to it, you should point out that even though the petition was up for a year and Anne been fighting for justice for 23, Liverpool Football Club only helped Anne for the first time last week.
ReplyDeleteThe issue of justice for the 96 who died that day has got muddled up with football when it is in fact a universally human issue. Even though it was a great effort online to get the required signatures, it was overwhelmingly dominated by LFC supporters signing their family, neighbours, babies etc. This may be enough to get a relatively small amount of signatures online (something less important than you believe), but not having the wider public and more MPs on board really damages the cause and has for years.
It’s not about who you support. You can't compare it to Istanbul. It’s not about buying merchandise. It’s about a young boy dying and finding out what happened. So rather than supporting it like you would your team, focus on being more engaged with the issues and reaching out beyond footballing boundaries.
I am delighted that the petition reached 100,000. I signed it and supported it. A few points though. Although I agree the media has given up on this issue and non-LFC fans turned off to it, you should point out that even though the petition was up for a year and Anne been fighting for justice for 23, Liverpool Football Club only helped Anne for the first time last week.
ReplyDeleteThe issue of justice for the 96 who died that day has got muddled up with football when it is in fact a universally human issue. Even though it was a great effort online to get the required signatures, it was overwhelmingly dominated by LFC supporters signing their family, neighbours, babies. This may be enough to get a relatively small amount of signatures on a something not as important as you may believe, but not having the wider public and MPs on board really damages the cause and has for years.
It is not “just like Istanbul. It’s not about buying merchandise. It’s not about who you support. It’s about a young boy dying and finding out what happened. So rather than supporting it like you would your team, be engaged with the issue better and reach out beyond footballing boundaries.
Although this post is a welcome change to suggesting Patrice Evra was lying, it is still misleading.
ReplyDeleteThe letter from the DCMS certainly does not "vindicate Kenny Dalglish's and Liverpool Football Club's stance". This case is not even mentioned in the letter.
Whilst there is an issue pertaining to the FA’s dual role in handling disciplinary matters, there is no suggestion from the DCMS that the FA has wrongly found Suarez guilty. Nor is there any specific criticisms of the contents of the report itself from LFC.