Still standing: The families of Hampstead

/ 27/04/2016

Twenty-seven years ago, 96 people, aged 10 to 67, went off to watch a football game…and never came home.

Yesterday the families of those people, having suffered more than two and a half decades of pain, loss, and anger at the public vilification of their loved ones, watched as the Hillsborough inquest jury delivered its final verdict: the 96 victims were unlawfully killed; and the behaviour of the fans did not contribute to the disaster.

On the face of it, it seems strange to make a comparison between the families of Hillsborough and the families of Hampstead.

After all, the Hillsborough families suffered the deaths of loved ones—sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, fathers, mothers. Their loved ones were labelled ‘hooligans’, lied about, blamed for their own deaths, and cast aside by those in power who ought to have been defending them.

The Hampstead families, meanwhile, have been accused of rape, murder, cannibalism, and child-trafficking; they were vindicated in a family court hearing that only seemed to fuel the flames of their accusers. Police have made efforts to help, but the past year has brought little satisfaction, and the accusations still hang heavy on the internet, seemingly impossible to expunge completely.

But the groups share something in common: both were dragged into situations not of their own making, forced to cope with unfounded, even evil, allegations that have had a profound impact on blameless, decent people.

In this article, Julie Fallon, sister of Andrew Sefton, who was one of the 96 fans killed during the 1989 Hillsborough disaster, describes how the Hillsborough families coped…and what they have lost in the process.

We think that much of what she has to say will resonate with the Hampstead families. The Hillsborough families’ struggle lasted 23 long years, but as Ms Fallon says:

We have paved the way for other ordinary, decent people in this country, who also find themselves in extraordinary circumstances of someone else’s making, to tread the path to truth and justice. We have swept the road before you, heaved boulders, checked for mines, swallowed dust, buried our dead at the roadside and, at times, crawled on our hands and knees, so that the path is now a little easier for you to walk on.

Ultimately, she says, “We’re still standing”.

And in the end, that’s what counts.

Hillsborough 96--Julie Fallon

 

Related posts

29 thoughts on “Still standing: The families of Hampstead”

  1. Pingback: Still standing: The families of Hampstead — HOAXTEAD RESEARCH | ShevaBurton. Cross of Change Blog

  2. Perhaps there is a lesson there. The Hampstead families should form a support group. Afterall from my experience it’s not just the ones falsely accused who suffer but their friends and acquaintances also feel the hurt.

    We must remember these horrible, dreadful and false accusations from fanatics may haunt them for years to come. Even policemen and social workers named may have a family members in the future who come across something online about a loved one. Recall it was MP Ken Clark’s son who read accusations about his father on the net and urged him to act. Not everyone is as tough as a politician sometimes must be. At least his false accuser has finally zipped his lips.

    And I know that creeps like Angela Power-Disney and others pushing the Australian Satanic accuser who is absolutely reveling in her new found fame on the internet don’t give a fig about the grandson of one of her falsely accused politicians. That boy became the victim of taunts and bullying at school after a schoolmate read the Aussie woman’s ludicrous claims. He became so upset about the talk of his beloved grandfather his parents swiftly moved him from that school which he had loved going to. We have no idea if others are suffering as well.

    As for the Scousers : they demonstrate that true British spirit that fights injustice. I shed a tear on watching them ‘celebrate’ after the court victory. They show that out of adversity a community spirit can prevail no matter what lies are thrown about.

    Liked by 3 people

    • Hoaxtead seems to ripple out in circles, from the individuals directly accused through to their friends and extended families. Many of those closest to the epicentre have reached out to one another, as you say. It’s so important to remember that these sorts of injustices don’t just vanish; they require stength, persistence, determination, and the belief that the battle can be won, no matter how long it might take.

      Liked by 1 person

  3. I’m really glad you made the comparison, and wrote this, EC. The complexity of the damage done, the , the pain and fear a few individuals and their foolish followers have caused for a large number of REAL people can never be overstated. The fine detail of the impact and consequences will perhaps never be known. Like many unfair things in life, I believe the affected people will be vindicated, in ways that are yet to unfold. Truth is stranger than fiction, and in time, it may be that in some way what happened will have positive consequences too. The children not being in the care of two truly evil people who terrorised them is perhaps symbolic of what will ultimately manifest in the lives of the people who were falsely accused and suffer the actions of evil and foolish people. I do think a support group for anyone affected is a good idea, as only those who experienced this can really understand how it felt, and they need to be able to tell their story to others who understand, in a safe space.

    Liked by 3 people

    • The damage caused by Abe, Ella, Belinda, and their gang of online thugs and supporters may never be fully known to the public, as you say. But like you, I think the Hoaxtead victims will be vindicated over time; and I agree that only those who’ve suffered this kind of attack can truly know how it feels.

      Liked by 1 person

  5. Great blog post. The Sun newspaper knows from brutal experience that people never forget the dishonest narrative they put out against the innocent fans of this tragedy.
    http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/sun-hillsborough-boycott-residents-across-the-country-refuse-to-accept-free-world-cup-pride-edition-9531999.html

    The Satan Hunter: Belinda McKenzie; Sabine McNeill; Abforgettingraham Christie; Angela Power Disney; Jake Clarke; Neelu Berry and others – nothing is forgotten. What you did to the innocent will haunt you for the rest of your days. You Satan Hunters go from campaign to campaign posting your lies against innocent people, attempting to make a name for yourselves, making money from the families, reputation and lives your ruin. The most wicked, vile and repugnant part you have all played to use and abuse the liberties and lives of children P and Q, and their father RD. You think you can walk away and be forgotten, to do this to others? There is no running away, no forgetting. I at least will be pursuing you for the rest of your lives.

    Liked by 3 people

    • Thanks, SV. I think it’s important to remember that the motivation behind this whole thing has nothing to do with ‘saving children’ or ‘battling evil’. It’s about feeding some people’s hunger for conspiritainment, while in the process lining the pockets of the perpetrators. It’s a foul game that plays on the emotions of the gullible and destroys the lives of good people.

      Liked by 2 people

  6. As a recipient of a number of malicious and entirely false allegations myself, one of which lead to my arrest, where I spent months on bail before being totally vindicated – I understand 100% what potential damage can be done.

    Being falsely accused is a singularly cruel and dispicable thing to do to anyone, especially when allegations of this nature are being made – and it’s difficult to imagine the effect it can have, not only on yourself, but on your family and friends too, unless it happens to you.

    An excellent and timely post BTW, well done.

    Liked by 3 people

      • From what I can make out, she is still making malicious allegations about people almost daily, openly calling them paedophiles, stalkers, trolls and abusers etc etc.

        So far she (and an online troll group) have got a large number of peoples’ Twitter and Facebook accounts suspended, and including myself, has also somehow managed to get five people arrested.

        No charges came out of any of the arrests, but their computer equipment was seized and examined, (which took more than six months), their homes were invaded, they were searched, photographed and fingerprinted and held in police cells for many hours before being questioned, and been kept languishing on bail for many months.

        Two are still on police bail at this time, but have been told that no charges are going to be brought.

        However, It is my understanding that a mainstream TV Channel who have been monitoring these events, are in the process putting together a programme which will be asking questions as to how many police man hours have been wasted and how much public expenditure has been swallowed up investigating what are, at the end of the day, spurious, vindictive and malicious, ‘non-crimes’ as no evidence has been found to substantiate any of the allegations.

        The producers are also interested in how people are able to use the police and other agencies like the social services and local councils to harrass innocent people who have done nothing other than become the targets of these online creeps.

        Like

        • Thanks for the reply, that is shocking but does not surprise me in the least.

          If VIPs can be victims of police incompetence and lengthy bail conditions then Joe public has even smaller chance of redress.

          The lunatics have taken over the asylum with the police believing their idiotic rantings without question. I sometimes think we have been thrown back to the 1980s.

          Like

  7. The Attorney General published a leaflet to explain what could and could not be published in the media (including the Internet).

    Click to access Naming_people_online_and_reporting_on_legal_proceedings_-_infographic.pdf

    The extract below explains it very simply:

    WHY ARE PEOPLE ALLOWED TO GET AWAY WITH DAMAGING PUBLICATIONS that breach current law, carry criminal penalties and are blatantly damaging to innocent victims.The damage those people do to innocent people is immeasurable.

    Belinda McKenzies site links to a case where not only have restrictions been ignored by people such as herself and John Hemming, but her site also links to a published audio recording of a recent High Court hearing, a very blatant and seemingly defiant act breaching current law.

    The Attorney Generals words are clear:

    WHEN WILL THESE PEOPLE BE BROUGHT TO TASK, AN EXAMPLE MADE AND THIS STOPPED

    Liked by 3 people

    • This is part of the puzzle that has left us completely at a loss. It seemed to us very obvious that those who breached the initial court order should have faced charges; and the harassment faced by the families of Hampstead was clearly (to us, at least) of a criminal nature. I recall having discussions about this well over a year ago; and yet no charges of contempt or harassment 4 were ever laid.

      I think the police and courts made a critical error early on: they failed to grasp exactly how tenacious and pernicious these people would be. Trutherism is a sort of cult, and the Hoaxteaders’ beliefs wouldn’t be shaken loose by threats–action was needed, and none was forthcoming. That just encouraged the Hoaxtead pushers to further and even wilder accusations.

      Liked by 1 person

  9. I have a couple of friends who were falsely accused of a serious crime. Luckily, in terms of the police investigation, my friends were with me and other witnesses, and their innocence was proven by cctv and other means. However, because of that, no charges were brought and no court case was held. Meaning that rumour is all the public have been left with. Unfortunately, some people take the view “no smoke without fire” and only have the accusers side of the story.

    While the police could prove the allegations false, the accuser faced no charges either. Those friends have been harassed and assaulted by people who believe the accuser. I have also been assaulted by people who know the accuser, for defending my friends (they were found not guilty in court because it was my word against theirs). There is a real danger that some of the crazy people who believe in this hoax could at some point cause serious harm to the so called accused. The police really do need to be much harder on people who make false accusations, and those who act upon them.

    Liked by 2 people

  10. A great post El Coyote and an interesting comparison that i hadn’t thought of. I thought that the quote at the end of the article by Julie Fallon,sister of one of the fans killed that day was very moving.

    Liked by 2 people

    • Thanks, AF–I was very moved by the backbone and dedication the Hillsborough families showed all the way through their ordeal. I’ve seen a similar strength of purpose in the Hampstead families.

      Liked by 1 person

Comments are closed.