ITV's Anne viewers say 'they picked on the wrong city' with Liverpool

An Anne Williams documentary has aired on ITV, following a four-part miniseries which told of Merseyside's Iron Lady's tireless fight for justice.

Footage showed what happened during the tragic semifinal on April 15, 1989, when 97 women, children and men were unlawfully killed.

Viewers were also shown the sickening ways victims were vilified, criminalised and even blamed for their own deaths.

READ MORE: Hillsborough support group says help is available as powerful drama Anne continues

Former Bishop of Liverpool James Jones told those watching: "To be told in the depth of your grief that your own loved one was responsible for their own death... it's cruel beyond belief."

Some twenty years after the disaster, South Yorkshire police were found to have edited witness statements in a huge cover up.

Further evidence showed 41 of the 97 who were killed could have survived, if the emergency response had been proportionate.

A false narrative, that those who lost their lives and other fans were heavily intoxicated, was also created to shift blame onto Liverpool fans.

A number of viewers took to Twitter to express their anger and disgust.

Grant Ferguson said: "One of the most harrowing things I’ve watched.

"I’ve got close friends from Liverpool whose passion for their city is special. They certainly picked on the wrong city. No one should go to a football match and never come home."

Melissa Riggs said: "This is my fifth straight day of crying. They picked on the wrong city. They picked on the wrong ma’s."

BelfastBhoy72 said "Horrific scenes at Hillsborough that day...The following smear campaign afterwards was disgusting. Heartbreaking".

Grant Evans said: "The red and blue side of Liverpool will always fight for Justice and the truth. #JFT97"

David Conn, the Guardian journalist who first wrote of the South Yorkshire Police editing witness statements, tweeted: "South Yorkshire police lies portrayed Liverpool supporters as a mob; at the inquests it was clear that many in the crowd were doctors, nurses, police officers, everyone.

"Many were very young, yet did their best to help others in that hell."

In April 2016, a jury found the victims of the Hillsborough disaster were unlawfully killed, and that fans did nothing to cause or contribute to the disaster.

All episodes of Anne, and The Real Anne: Unfinished Business are available on the ITV Hub.

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