5 supporters banned

[silent majority]

Alick,

Doing it on here won't make the slightest difference. The fact is that Liverpool supporters did get their point of view across, time after time decent journalists raised it, decent MP's raised it, supporter groups raised it, we all battered the door down for 23 years, even Lord Justice Taylor in his reports stated that the Liverpool fans were not at fault. No, its not speaking out that's the problem, its people having the courage to listen.

On any given day reports cross my desk about the injustices that supporters suffer, some of it is so hard to understand, but not if you accept that there is a inbuilt prejudice against football supporters backed up by some of the toughest legislation ever perpetrated on one section of society. Dramatic? Maybe, but you soon become immune to it when you've seen example after example. Those lads at Hartlepool, whoever they may be, don't need to explain anything to anybody, but what they may need is some help, some support, and if they are innocent then they need some justice. If they are guilty of violent acts, then they will get what's coming to them, but probably a much worse punishment than what they deserve.

[Alickismyhero]

I thought it would be very unlikely that they would put their side of the story on a site where they have been heavily criticised. The fact that they were given the opportunity to express their views must be a good thing.

You seem to imply that the odds are really stacked up against football supporters.

Quote

 “On any given day reports cross my desk about the injustices that supporters suffer, some of it is so hard to understand, but not if you accept that there is a inbuilt prejudice against football supporters backed up by some of the toughest legislation ever perpetrated on one section of society”
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Are you telling me that that idiot  Leeds supporter was treated very unfairly because he was a football supporter? His defence seemed to be “It wasn't my fault I was drunk at the time”

4 months in prison and a five year ban hardly seems that bad when you consider he will be out in 8 weeks and I have no doubt he will break the conditions of his ban as he has done in the past.

Clearly you have more experience than me on this subject but I fail to see your point of view in the quote above.

[silent majority]

Alick,

I take it you've never heard of 'The Football Spectators Act 1989'? Or any of the other legislation that is aimed primarily at football supporters? How about having a camera stuck in your face everywhere you go at football matches, is that OK? How about the drinking laws imposed on football supporters that don't apply to any other part of society? How about the travel restrictions?

A few years ago we were fighting a case for some Stoke City supporters who had been served a section 27 notice on them in a pub on the outskirts of Manchester. They'd done nothing wrong. They were herded onto buses and after several hours were escorted back to Stoke, despite the fact that some of them had cars in the car park and that some of them lived in Manchester. They were not allowed off the buses to relieve themselves and had to use paper cups etc. We decided we didn't have enough money or clout to fight  a case as big as this so we struck up a relationship with Liberty the group that fights for individual rights. They looked at the legislation regarding football supporters and were appalled, stating that terrorists in this country are treated better and have more human rights. Those supporters won their case and were awarded £6k each.

Every day I get e-mails along similar lines, just because you don't see it doesn't mean it doesn't happen. I think you're being naive by quoting the Leeds fan as I could quote you dozens more. A friend of mine is in the army, he was on leave when he attended Chelsea v Cardiff a couple of years back and he got caught up in something in the street, he picked up a traffic cone and then realised his mistake and put it back down again. He got an 18 month prison sentence for that, first offence and impeccable character. You want more? I'll send them to you I've got dozens.