Behave more like Bradford City victims, judge tells Hillsborough families

Sir Oliver Popplewell, who chaired the public inquiry into the 1985 fire at the Valley Parade stadium that killed 56 people, called on the Liverpool families to look at the “quiet dignity and great courage” relatives in the West Yorkshire city had shown in the years following the tragedy.

He made the comments following the Commons debate this week calling for all the Cabinet papers on Hillsborough to be released.

Home Secretary Theresa May has pledged to release all possible documents on the 1989 FA Cup semi-final tragedy at Hillsborough that left 96 Liverpool fans dead and that may happen by next spring.

Sir Oliver said: “The citizens of Bradford behaved with quiet dignity and great courage.

“They did not harbour conspiracy theories. They did not seek endless further inquiries.

“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?”

Labour MP Steve Rotheram (Liverpool Walton) was critical of his comments, however: “How insensitive does somebody have to be to write that load of drivel?

“It is unbelievable. To mention other tragedies simply because they are football-related, as if there is some common denominator because they happened in football stadiums, beggars belief.

“Was there a conspiracy after the Bradford fire? Did the Government try to blame the Bradford City fans for setting fire to the stadium on purpose?

“It shows how people right at the top of the Establishment still harbour prejudice and ignorance.”

Margaret Aspinall, whose son James died in the disaster, commented of the judge: “He ought to be ashamed of himself.”