The Staggers

The New Statesman’s rolling politics blog

Tory minister claims that football hooliganism was to blame for Hillsborough Stadium disaster

Jeremy Hunt is forced to apologise after suggesting on Sky that hooligans caused the event.

By George Eaton Published 28 June 2010 14:57

The new Culture Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, has come under fire today after casually suggesting that football hooliganism was responsible for the Hillsborough disaster.

In an interview with Sky News, he said:

[A]s a minister, I was incredibly encouraged by the example set by the England fans, I mean not a single arrest for a football-related offensive, and the terrible problems that we had in Heysel and Hillsborough in the 1980s seem now to be behind us. And I think, you know, there is small grounds for encouragement there even though obviously we are very disappointed about the result.

Hunt's ignorant comments are at odds with the conclusions of the 1990 Taylor report, which ruled that poor crowd control, not the behaviour of Liverpool fans, was to blame for the disaster.

The Tory minister's remarks will revive memories of the claims made by Kelvin MacKenize's Sun newspaper, which, on the Wednesday after the disaster, alleged that Liverpool fans had picked the pockets of the dead, urinated on police officers and attacked rescue workers.

To this day, many Liverpool newsagents refuse to stock the Sun; the tabloid lost more than three-quarters of its sales in the city.

Hunt has since apologised for his comments, but it's troubling that the minister responsible for sport was apparently unaware that claims of hooliganism were disproved long ago.

For a more enlightened take on the subject, read Andrew Hussey's essay from our special issue on 1989 -- "the year of the crowd".

UPDATE: Andy Burnham, who memorably represented the government at Anfield on the 20th anniversary of the disaster, has tweeted: "How sad 2 hear Cab Min echo old slurs on Hboro. Need more than apology -- he must give full support 2 discl panel. Full truth & nothing less."

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17 comments

Mon, 2010-06-28 17:17 — John (not verified)

Jane

Were you there? I was and i was with my dad who is a very respectable older man and at no point could nayone form an orderly que.There was 3 entrances that we could see and no crowd segragation that usually happens outside the ground. There were over 10,000 people trying to get through 3 tiny turnstiles.

My family are working class and all my unfortunate friends are working class and we all have or had very good manners.

People should not comment unless they have evidence and evidence does not come from those disgusting red top papers!

Mon, 2010-06-28 17:30 — KJ (not verified)

I'm a huge opponent of everything the Thatcher government did and I'm totally against the Conservatives, but Jeremy Hunt's remarks were certainly not offensive.
The Hillsborough tragedy was, indirectly - because of the perimeter fencing, which was an anti-hooligan measure - caused by football hooliganism.
And Mr Hunt's contrast between that era and this is a perfectly valid point to make.

Mon, 2010-06-28 18:28 — becso (not verified)

Well said Clem the gem

Mon, 2010-06-28 21:55 — jeremiah

Disgraceful Tory nonsense. Families of the Hillsborough victims have had to put up with slurs about the disaster since the The Scum published "The Truth".

I wonder what the media response would have been if a disaster of that type had happened at Royal Ascot or Wimbledon?

Cameron should sack this ignorant public school tosser!

Mon, 2010-06-28 22:26 — sam (not verified)

pathetic, funny how liverpudlians are so quick to jump down the throat of anyone that mentions hillsborough in a negative breath, yet will spout stuff all day long about munich. scousers yet again showing they have a pathetic chip on their shoulder about everything ever.

Tue, 2010-06-29 01:51 — Abdul (not verified)

There's nothing like a bit of fake indignation from the NS and the rest of the chippy bar room brawlers, is there ?

Well of course he is correct.

Tue, 2010-06-29 03:36 — Al (not verified)

The minister apologised and people should me more than satisfied with that. Overreactions can only appear politically motivated.

Mon, 2010-06-28 15:14 — JG7 (not verified)

Calm down mate.

He was just saying that it could've been worse and obviously on the top of his head the worst two crowd related incidents were Heysel and Hillsborough.

Honeslty stop looking for a fight, there isn't one here.

Everyone knows that the Taylor report blamed the crowd control, but the amount that you lot go on at any slight mention, it makes me care less.

RIP the 96 etc, but bore off x

Mon, 2010-06-28 16:03 — Culverin

Yep and the Man Utd air disaster was the work of Man City fans!

Mon, 2010-06-28 18:09 — clem the gem (not verified)

The difference in the attitude of poluice to a crowd of football fans, wherever you are in the UK, and Rugby Union fans is highly instructive. I doubt I have seen more than 10 police all day at twickenham during the 1980s. It was all very different at football matches, even at Carrow Road in Norwich!
This silly man has very little knowledge of what he is speaking about. Of course we are all happy that England fans behaved well in South Africa, but his mind is so out of date and muddled when it comes to football that he can only drag up innappropriate examples from the 1980s.
I do not think he meant to cause offence, but his lack of sensibility towards the subject betrays his own prejudices.

Mon, 2010-06-28 16:37 — swatantra nandanwar

If they can build out of town supermarkets then surely they can build out of town football stadia, where crowd control within and without stadia is a lot easier to control.
There will always be a particular section of the crowd out to make trouble, and they need careful monitoring by CCTV and riot police.

Mon, 2010-06-28 17:57 — Pauline (not verified)

There were hooligan problems at Hillsborough in the 80s.
Maybe not on the day of the disaster, but to try associate his comments with the disaster is sickening.

Mon, 2010-06-28 18:01 — sammy (not verified)

can't you put youself the victims famillies shoes? Think how distressing and horrible it must have been for them and still is. children were crushed, innocent people. and for someone to say this adds salt to the wound. blame it on hooligans? that is not a valid point, that is offensive. plain ignorance and stupidity, a typical tory. and jane, are you saying that all football hooligans are working class. small minded bigot. Forming orderly ques at football matches?! pffft! especially that one. If you were not there, you shouldn't say that. If you were there would you just stand there and get squashed? shut up.

Mon, 2010-06-28 16:51 — Jane (not verified)

Yes, the Police crowd control was poorly managed, but if the supporters had formed an orderly queue the disaster wouldn't have happened.

I don't see why we should all accept that it is unreasonable to expect football supporters to form an orderly queue. You don't require tip-top Police crowd control at the Royal Opera.

What are you saying - the working class can't learn good manners?