{"id":5332,"date":"2022-11-18T15:20:11","date_gmt":"2022-11-18T15:20:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uniofglos.blog\/eventsglos\/?p=5332"},"modified":"2022-11-30T08:52:45","modified_gmt":"2022-11-30T08:52:45","slug":"hillsborough-2-0-is-history-repeating-itself","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uniofglos.blog\/eventsglos\/2022\/11\/18\/hillsborough-2-0-is-history-repeating-itself\/","title":{"rendered":"Hillsborough 2.0 – Is History Repeating Itself?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

As the popularity of events grow, so does the responsibility to keep those who attend safe. Crowd control remains a prevalent issue within the events industry, heightened by the reoccurring reports of crowd safety negligence.<\/a> Can event organisers do more to protect attendees or is this becoming a norm for industry practice? Is it event managers alone who are to blame for these tragedies? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hillsborough Disaster <\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What was meant to be the FA Cup Semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest is now more commonly known as the Hillsborough disaster (1989). A crowd crush incident which claimed the lives of 97 football fans and hospitalized 162 others,<\/a> deemed to be one of the worst disasters in british sporting history by the BBC.<\/a> Inadequate signage of the two end standing terraces and police decisions to open exit gates to allow quicker access for fans resulted in a surge of fans funnelling into the two central enclosed terraces. It is now a compulsory requirement for teams in the Premiership and Championship leagues to have all-seated grounds after enclosed standing spectator terraces were also identified as a contributing factor of the 1989 disaster.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Image by Cowardlion via Shutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Same issues, different decade<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

2022 UEFA Champions League Final <\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Crowd control chaos presented prior to kick off at the UEFA Champions League Final match between Liverpool and Real Madrid (Saturday 28th<\/sup> May 2022). A reported 15,000 Liverpool fans were trapped in a bottleneck<\/a> whilst trying to enter the Stade de France, decisions to remove signage led to supporters entering the stadium via a singular route where turnstiles were malfunctioning. The calm response from the crowd is said to be the main reason why there were no fatalities. In a report following the incident, UEFA were accused of insufficient preparation<\/a> (inadequate crowd safety measures) prior to the match. French police were also criticised for using tear gas unprovoked.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kanjuruhan Stadium Disaster Indonesia<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A fatal crush took place just last month when 131 people were killed in a crush<\/a> following a football match in the Kunjuruhan stadium, Indonesia. The stadium was filled beyond capacity with 42,000 tickets sold for a capacity of 38,000<\/a> with only 4 paramedics on standby. After the match, fans stormed the pitch prompting the police to use tear gas to control the crowd, the use of which has been banned by FIFA. Fans have a pre-existing negative reputation<\/a> and at this game alone, police vehicles were being set alight and brought into the stadium. Furthermore, in the days leading up to the game, scathing articles were written about the opposing teams riling up the fans, despite this behaviour, the fans are still calling for the police to be held responsible. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Image by Muhammed Solikin via Shutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But it’s not just football…<\/strong> <\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Travis Scott\u2019s Astroworld <\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In November of 2021, Travis Scott\u2019s Astroworld music festival was held for the first-time post covid, with an estimated 50,000 people in attendance<\/a>. It was reported that multiple fans jumped fences, and stormed through security before the event began, with Scott encouraging fans to do so through his social media accounts. During his set, the crowd tried to grab the attention of staff as things became increasingly uncomfortable, but to no avail as the surge continued on and took the lives of 10 people. Making it one of the US\u2019s deadliest concerts in history. Reports show that the operational plan put into place didn\u2019t actually detail a protocol for a crowd surge,<\/a> only other threats like a shooter or bombs.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Image by Bryan Regan via Shutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Spot the similarities<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n