Hillsborough: The fight for accountability

This paper examines one of the most notorious episodes in the history of English football. The death of 89 Liverpool supporters at an FA Cup semi-final at Hillsborough stadium in Sheffield in 1989 has been the subject of a resilient opposition to the attempts by police, legal and footballing authorities and certain media to attribute the cause of these fatalities to those who died at this event. This paper examines the weaknesses in public accountability which gave impetus to a social movement mobilised to achieve justice for those who died and their families. This is a story of justice in the face of daunting odds over almost thirty years of struggle.