Kenny Dalglish angry at Popplewell comments on Hillsborough Disaster
- 10 years ago
Sir Oliver Popplewell, 84, contrasted the "quiet dignity and great courage" of the relatives of 56 people killed in the blaze at Valley Parade in May 1985 to that of the Hillsborough campaigners, who are pushing for the release of government papers related to the tragedy.
"The citizens of Bradford behaved with quiet dignity and great courage. They did not harbour conspiracy theories. They did not seek endless further inquiries," he wrote in a letter to The Times.
"They buried their dead, comforted the bereaved and succoured the injured. They organised a sensible compensation scheme and moved on. Is there, perhaps, a lesson there for the Hillsborough campaigners?"
Andy Burnham, the shadow health secretary and Everton supporter, said the letter was "insulting and ill-considered".
"The terrible tragedies at Bradford and Hillsborough are simply not comparable, said Burnham.
"After Hillsborough, an immediate campaign of denigration began against Liverpool supporters.
"We all feel deeply for the families of Bradford who lost loved ones but they didn't have to pick up newspapers to find sickening slurs about their friends.
"What we've been fighting against all these years is an Establishment stitch-up. It seems the Establishment is still closing ranks and fighting the victims," he added.
"Sir Oliver perhaps needs to go back and reflect."
Wirral MP Alison McGovern, who sobbed in Parliament on Monday as Members voted unanimously to release government papers on the disaster, said Popplewell's comments were a "disgrace".
"The idea that he thinks it appropriate to tell the families they've been 'undignified' is disgusting.
"When I first moved to London in 1999 I had to correct people all the time about what happened. Every time you have to set the record straight it hurts."
Popplewell, once one of England's most distinguished High Court judges, oversaw two inquiries into crowd safety after the Bradford fire, and took evidence from Brussel's Heysel Stadium disaste
"The citizens of Bradford behaved with quiet dignity and great courage. They did not harbour conspiracy theories. They did not seek endless further inquiries," he wrote in a letter to The Times.
"They buried their dead, comforted the bereaved and succoured the injured. They organised a sensible compensation scheme and moved on. Is there, perhaps, a lesson there for the Hillsborough campaigners?"
Andy Burnham, the shadow health secretary and Everton supporter, said the letter was "insulting and ill-considered".
"The terrible tragedies at Bradford and Hillsborough are simply not comparable, said Burnham.
"After Hillsborough, an immediate campaign of denigration began against Liverpool supporters.
"We all feel deeply for the families of Bradford who lost loved ones but they didn't have to pick up newspapers to find sickening slurs about their friends.
"What we've been fighting against all these years is an Establishment stitch-up. It seems the Establishment is still closing ranks and fighting the victims," he added.
"Sir Oliver perhaps needs to go back and reflect."
Wirral MP Alison McGovern, who sobbed in Parliament on Monday as Members voted unanimously to release government papers on the disaster, said Popplewell's comments were a "disgrace".
"The idea that he thinks it appropriate to tell the families they've been 'undignified' is disgusting.
"When I first moved to London in 1999 I had to correct people all the time about what happened. Every time you have to set the record straight it hurts."
Popplewell, once one of England's most distinguished High Court judges, oversaw two inquiries into crowd safety after the Bradford fire, and took evidence from Brussel's Heysel Stadium disaste