Newspaper column criticises Hillsborough memorial service

A newspaper column has caused a furore for criticising mourners who attended the memorial marking the 25th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster.

Every year, Liverpool's home ground of Anfield hosts a service to remember the 96 supporters who died following a crush at the Hillsborough ground during an FA Cup semi-final in 1989.

This year, fresh inquests have begun after an independent report claimed that police statements from the disaster were altered in order to shift blame from the officers to the supporters on the day.

A columnist that goes by the name of Big Eye wrote about last Tuesday's service in the Lynn News Citizen in West Norfolk, in which they said: "A spokesperson for the Hillsborough Family Support Group still succeeded in insinuating into her references to their ongoing campaign for justice a rallying call for her team and their ongoing title ambitions.

"Whatever else has happened and however awful the deaths of those 96 people there is still something that will ease everyone's pain - a big shiny cup with ribbons on it."

The criticism was widely slammed by users on social media, which caused the newspaper to tweet that the Big Eye's views did not reflect those of the publication.