All those years of corruption and cowardice did nothing to quell the unity, dignity and resilience shown by the people of Liverpool.
They picked the wrong city. They picked on the wrong Mums and Dads. The wrong brothers and sisters who all dedicated their own lives to those who had no say in losing their own. We always sang you’ll never walk alone, and all those years on, we stuck to our word. At times, people would have expected our voices to tremble and our hands to shake but we stood side by side and showed them Scousers are a different breed. We knew, the families knew, the fans knew and now the world knows. Can you only imagine the inner strength it took to battle for almost three decades, then to hear the jurors admit the killing was unlawful? Liverpool can finally breathe again. It can rest again, it can put down the pitchforks and go down in history as the city that never gave up. Forgetfulness is an enabler – it allows injustices to happen, and happen again. This is simply an example of what happens when the power of persistence prevails; what happens when people refuse to forget.
You know we’re proud of this city 365 days of year. There’s not a day that goes by that something, or someone, reminds us. But on April 26th 2016 we were especially proud. It encapsulated the very defiance that runs through Liverpool’s blood. A city once forgotten, has reminded people why we’re not like the others. A very emotional day for Liverpool that will go down in history. From hearing the verdict that was met with raptures to watching the family members leave the court room, hand-in-hand, bellowing out “You’ll Never Walk Alone”, there hasn’t been a dry eye in the city. Again, we extend our utmost admiration for those at the front of the battle. The 96 can finally rest and we hope you can too.
Here’s a few of our favourite pictures, videos and things that happened on that day. Enjoy.
Special thanks to Beverley Goodwin for the featured image and Liverpool Echo for the picture.