West Derby MP Ian Byrne has written to the French Président demanding an official apology following a Senate report into the Champions League final.
Mr Byrne has penned an official request to Emmanuel Macron calling for a formal apology from the French government. A French Senate report published on Wednesday, July 13 said fans were not to blame and documented a catalogue of failings from the French authorities.
Fans at the Stade de France for the match between Liverpool FC and Real Madrid were crushed at the turnstiles, tear gassed by police, and robbed and assaulted by locals in Saint Denis. Mr Byrne, who attended the match, said: "I have not witnessed such a hostile environment at a football match since I was present at Hillsborough in 1989."
READ MORE: Liverpool FC fans falsely blamed for Paris Champions League final chaos, Senate report finds
The following weeks saw a number of claims, proven to be untrue by the Senate report, made by high-ranking members of the French Government. Sports Minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra and Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said "30-40,000" Liverpool fans with fake tickets tried to enter the Stade de France.
But the Senate report found it "unfair to have tried to blame the Liverpool team's supporters for the disturbances that occurred...in order to divert attention from the state's inability to adequately manage crowds". The report also said apologies were only issued for the use of tear gas, "wasted" experience and "poor management" after the announcement of the Senate committee hearings.
Mr Byrne has now called for a formal apology from the French Government for "the failings that put fans at grave risk and caused horrific experiences that will have a lasting impact". The West Derby MP wants an apology for the treatment by the police, the destruction of video evidence and incorrect claims from the French authorities.
The West Derby MP also wants a formal inquiry to be undertaken by the French Government into the events on May 28 and for Mr Darmanin and Ms Oudéa-Castéra to formally withdraw their "unevidenced claims" blaming fans for the chaos outside the ground.
Mr Byrne said: "Président Macron, the treatment and subsequent smearing of innocent people cannot go unchecked and must not be allowed to happen again. In order for the world to have confidence in your government’s ability to host global events in future, I hope you choose to act decisively."
An independent review by UEFA has also been launched and the findings will be published later this year.
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