“traumatized”, Liverpool supporters ask Darmanin to resign – Liberation

“You, Sir, have humiliated the inhabitants of Paris. Your endless lies and false narratives have only amplified our trauma,” said Ted Morris, representative of the Association of Disabled Liverpool Supporters, present at the Stade de France on the day of this final disrupted by serious malfunctions in the organization. “I ask you to withdraw your savage and baseless accusations and, if you do not have the decency to do so, you must choose the most honorable course and resign”, he launched in front of the senatorial delegation which works on these incidents.

In the hours following the meeting, Gérald Darmanin castigated the English supporters, presenting the thesis of a “massive, industrial and organized fraud of counterfeit banknotes” creating disorder. Then, during his hearing before the Senate on June 1, the Minister of the Interior sketched out a mea culpa while maintaining the controversial figure of “35,000 supporters” provided, according to him, with counterfeit tickets or without tickets.

“The most terrifying experience”

In front of the senators this Tuesday afternoon, Ted Morris read the testimonies of several disabled supporters “traumatized” by these incidents, victims of robberies or assaults by local gangs in Saint-Denis or sprayed with tear gas by the police.

«It’s the experience the most terrifying I’ve ever had in Europe with Liverpool,” he said. “I will never forgive the authorities who are totally responsible”, he continued, recalling the trauma experienced in 1989 by Liverpool in Hillsborough, where a gigantic crowd movement had caused the death of 97 supporters.

A member of the “Spirit of Shankly” support group, a tribute to the club’s legendary coach, Joe Blott has also asked the French authorities to “remove” their accusations and to present “a full apology”, pointing to France’s tarnished reputation as a host country for major sporting events.

“To ensure the safety of supporters during the Rugby World Cup [2023] and the Olympics [2024] in the coming years, a full, independent and transparent investigation is needed for the world to regain confidence in France’s ability to organize global sporting events.asserted the supporter.