Liverpool bell to toll 97 times to mark the 35th anniversary of the Hillsborough tragedy

A bell with toll 97 times in Liverpool city centre on Monday afternoon to mark the 35th anniversary of the Hillsborough tragedy. Ninety-seven Liverpool fans died as a result of a fatal crush during an FA Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest at Sheffield Wednesday's Hillsborough Stadium on April 15, 1989. 

Police, the government and parts of the media blamed Liverpool fans for the deaths. After a 27-year fight for justice by the bereaved families against the cover-up, jurors at an inquest in 2016 ruled that Liverpool fans did not contribute to the disaster and they had been unlawfully killed, with errors by the police and ambulance service causing or contributing to their deaths.

Since then, the government has faced calls to introduce a ‘Hillsborough Law’ known as the Public Authority (Accountability) Bill, placing a legal duty of candour on public authorities and officials to tell the truth and proactively cooperate with official investigations and inquiries. The government did sign a Hillsborough Charter last year, promising the family injustices suffered by those involved in the 1989 disaster will never be repeated, but stopped short of introducing legislation.

A one minute of silence will be observed in Liverpool today (Monday, April 15) at 3.06pm - the exact time at which the fateful match was stopped – in memory of the people who lost their lives. Following the silence, a bell will toll 97 times in tribute to each victim.

Taking place in Exchange Flags (behind Liverpool Town Hall) the memorial service will be led by the Lord Mayor of Liverpool, Councillor Mary Rasmussen and members of the public are encouraged to gather in the location to show their respect.

Liverpool Town Hall will be open to the public from 3.00pm until 4.30pm to allow people to the Freedom of the City plaque which is engraved with the names of the 97 fans who lost their lives as a result of the disaster. Flags will also be flown at half-mast from civic buildings across the city and the Town Hall will be lit up red in the evening.