Liverpool families vindicated 27 years after stadium tragedy

LONDON — The northern English city of Liverpool remembered the 96 soccer fans who were crushed to death in a crowded stadium in 1989, honoring each one by name Wednesday as Britain faced a moment of soul-searching on how it responded to the tragedy.

Banners reading “Truth” and “Justice” were hung from the neo-classical columns of St. George’s Hall in central Liverpool, just above 96 lanterns marking each life lost. Tens of thousands thundered the Liverpool Football Club anthem, “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” and held red team scarves above their heads. Many wept.

On Tuesday, a jury found that police and emergency services were to blame for the April 15, 1989, disaster at Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield, exonerating the crowd and saying it didn’t contribute to the tragedy.

Families and supporters praised the tenacity of a city that fought alongside them, demanding answers after authorities blamed the victims for the tragedy for 27 years. The crowd chanted “justice for the 96,” echoing a refrain that those responsible should be punished.

“We never gave up hope,” Sheila Coleman, spokeswoman for the Hillsborough Justice Campaign, told the crowd. “They did pick on the wrong city.”

Pressure is building to bring criminal charges for the blunders by police and the cover-up that prevented the families of the victims from learning the truth for so long.

By late Wednesday, at least one public official had been suspended in light of the inquest’s findings — David Crompton, chief constable of South Yorkshire Police. Alan Billings, South Yorkshire police and crime commissioner, said he had been “left with no choice” but to suspend Crompton “based on the erosion of public trust and confidence” in the force.

Crompton’s position was “untenable” because he allowed officers to blame fans during the second inquest, prolonging the agony of the families.