Football fans who mock Hillsborough disaster face years-long match ban
A number of people have been hauled before the courts for making offensive comments or gestures about the Hillsborough disaster
Football fans caught mocking tragedies such as the Hillsborough disaster or the Munich air crash face being banned from matches under legal guidelines.
Latest guidance from the Crown Prosecution Service states offensive chanting or gestures about accidents or disasters involving players or fans - including the 1989 tragedy which claimed the lives of 97 people - can be treated as a public order offence. Prosecutors can apply for Football Banning Orders, which stop fans attending matches and can restrict travel – for example, to next year’s Euro 2024 in Germany, reports MirrorOnline.
Douglas Mackay, of the CPS, said: "We want supporters to enjoy and be passionate in following their teams but not cross the line into criminality. The CPS takes this offending extremely seriously as seen in our recent prosecutions of Zakir Hussain, James White and Kieron Darlow.
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“We are sending a clear message that we call on so called fans to stop this vile behaviour of a minority which has a terrible impact on the bereaved and communities. If they do not then they face the risk of being excluded from the game they claim to love.”
As the new season kicks off, the CPS, police, clubs and football leagues are explaining to fans the impact of their behaviour and the punishments they could face.
FA chief executive Mark Bullingham described tragedy-related abuse as “unacceptable”. He added: “This behaviour is highly offensive and can have a lasting effect on the families, friends and communities who have been impacted.”
A number of people, including Hussain, White and Darlow, have been hauled before the courts after making offensive comments or gestures about the Hillsborough disaster, which claimed the lives of dozens of Liverpool supporters at the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest in April 1989.
In May this year, Tottenham Hotspur fan Darlow, of Node Way Gardens in Welwyn, pleaded guilty to harassment after he mimicked being pushed like Hillsborough disaster victims at the Liverpool v Spurs game at Anfield on April 30, 2023.
In June, Hussain, 28, of Ilford, East London, was given a 14-week suspended sentence over a series of hateful tweets he made in April 2020, which included threats to deface one victim's grave with urine and faeces. That same month, Manchester United supporter James White, 33, of Stockton, Warks, received a four-year football ban after wearing a shirt to the FA Cup Final with an offensive reference to the disaster.
In July, Manchester City supporter David Murphy, of The Willows in Frodsham in Cheshire, was banned from matches for three years after making gestures mocking Hillsborough victims during the EFL Cup game at the Etihad Stadium on December 22 2022.
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