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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
National
Patrick Edrich

Hillsborough families being 'persecuted' by 'constant' hateful abuse

The families of Hillsborough victims are being constantly "persecuted" as the "vile" chants heard at most Liverpool matches are "getting worse".

Peter Scarfe, from the Hillsborough Survivors Support Alliance (HSA), told the ECHO the chants "are getting worse" and urged the Football Association to put out a message to every club to clamp down on the "vile" abuse. 97 Liverpool FC supporters were unlawfully killed at the 1989 FA Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest.

A catalogue of institutional failings were uncovered and Liverpool fans were completely exonerated. But opposition fans have again been guilty of hateful Hillsborough comments in recent months, with vile chants heard at recent matches.

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Mr Scarfe told the ECHO : "It's getting worse. We need to be active about it to try and stop it. A message needs to go out to every club and every supporters' group. We don't want the banter to stop at football matches. But there is no need for the constant hate."

The director of HSA, a group who provide support and education regarding the disaster, added the recent chants have also resulted in a rise in social media abuse towards the victims' families. Mr Scarfe said: "It's exhausting for them. They're being persecuted.

"They shouldn't have to constantly defend their relatives after they've been exonerated. They've had to deal with the hate for 33 years. Why do people hate so much? Who would want to send such hateful comments to people?"

Charlotte Hennessy, who was six when her dad James was killed in the tragedy, said "enough is enough" in response to the chants. Ms Hennessy told ITV Granada : "These are grown adults that think it's OK to mock death regardless of the tragedy, whether it's Hillsborough at Munich, Heysel, any tragedy.

"It's not funny. It's not banter. People aren't taken into consideration that when you are chanting, you're not taking into any account the mental trauma that survivors and family members have."

Ian Byrne, MP for West Derby and a Hillsborough survivor, said the "incessant" chants are a weekly occurrence and has written an open letter to Premier League boss Richard Masters to tackle the problem. Mr Byrne said the Premier League has "a duty of care" to supporters and that the chants are "shaming the game".

Mr Byrne, who leads the Real Truth Legacy Project, also renewed his calls for Hillsborough to be added to the curriculum last month. He said: "We aim to educate current and future generations about what really happened at the disaster and about the subsequent cover up and the long fight for justice."

Campaign group Hillsborough Law Now, who have led calls for a new law to prevent injustices where there is state involvement, called the chants "a stain on the game".

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