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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Politics
Ian Byrne MP

'Champions League final brought my Hillsborough memories back - we were treated like animals'

Saturday night was horrific, it was absolutely chaotic stadium management and policing.

The hostile environment created by the French police was unforgivable for such an event - the premium football event in Europe.

When we were trying to get through the first perimeter, we were getting pushed down into pinch points, then we eventually got through that and tried to gain access to the stadium and we saw thousands of Liverpool fans queuing up against turnstiles which were shut.

Eventually we got through the turnstiles - we got lifted through on a human tide.

When we got to the other side it was just so reminiscent of Hillsborough because people were struggling to breathe, people were complaining that they were really getting hurt.

Labour MP Ian Byrne, pictured, was at both Hillsborough and at Saturday night's final (Handout)

I actually begged the security guard to open up the gates because there were only two gates open out of a potential 30 - but they weren’t listening.

I was 16 that day at Hillsborough and on Saturday night I did fear the worst, I really did.

You could see they were crushed up against the wire and it was only going to get worse.

It was Liverpool fans through their patience that prevented it becoming a tragedy.

Police stand in front of fans prior to the UEFA Champions League final (AFP via Getty Images)

When we eventually got into the stadium we weren’t thinking about the game at all, and then you see the board saying: “This game is delayed because of Liverpool fans turning up late”.

It was an outrageous, lying slur because there were people who had been kettled in for three-and-a-half hours who were then faced with tear gas, pepper-sprayed and treated like absolute animals.

We need a full, independent inquiry to make sure that lessons are learned by the French authorities.

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