Respect the 96 - Spion Kop Flag Day

Sheff Wed. (h) Dec. 19th 1989

You may be aware of the proposal for a boycott of our game at Hillsborough scheduled for May 8th next year. The reason for this boycott is to protest at Sheffield Wednesday's continuing refusal to erect a fitting and permanent memorial to the 96 victims of the Hillsborough Disaster. The boycott is not to ask them to take responsibility for the disaster, but to demand that a memorial be erected at the Leppings Lane end of Hillsborough so that we can pay our respects to the 96 innocent men, women and children who were killed on April 15th 1989. It is also a protest at the intimidating and insensitive treatment of Liverpool supporters during their recent visits to Hillsborough when they were not allowed to lay floral tributes to the dead.

Only recently, after a prolonged campaign by Birmingham City and Leeds Utd fans, has a memorial been installed at St Andrews in memory of 15 year old Ian Hambridge, a young Leeds supporter who was crushed by a falling wall on the 11th May 1985. This memorial in no way suggests that Birmingham City were at fault for the death - it simply acknowledges that it happened, and gives those who wish to pay their respects a focal point in which to do so.

The Hillsborough Disaster is almost a decade old, and we know that some of the directors at SWFC think that we should just forget about it all, and go away quietly. To them it's an embarrassment and if they can get away without acknowledging it, then they will most certainly do so. A memorial would remind us all of what happened - and SWFC would rather pretend it didn't happen. Let's not forget the unseemly haste in which they installed seats into the Leppings Land and applied to the FA to stage FA Cup semi-finals again. They recently told one of their own shareholders that the decision not to erect a memorial was taken under legal advice, advice that said that it would indicate culpability. Well, SWFC have either got extremely unreliable lawyers or the board are lying through their teeth. I leave it to you to decide.

Unfortunately, for SWFC, the FA and SY police, we are not going away quietly and we will never forget what happened at Hillsborough. To this end we have nominated the game at Anfield on Dec. 19th as a 'Respect the 96' Flagday. We aim to show the directors, supporters, staff and players of SWFC just how deeply we still care about this issue. A united, vociferous and colourful display of your loyalties and concerns will show them all - and the press - just how much being able to pay our respects to the 96 means to us.

We are planning another Kop mosaic but we would ask you that you ALL bring along something - a flag, banner or placard to show your support. Once again, if you would like to place floral tributes to the 96 at the memorial then do so by noon on the day of the game so that visiting supporters and officials can see it when they arrive at Anfield.

REMEMBER THE 96 - RESPECT THE 96