Wiltshire councillor Russell Hawker has refused to apologise for comments he made blaming hooligans for the Hillsborough disaster.
The Independent Westbury West councillor Russell Hawker wrote on his Twitter page that the 1989 disaster, in which 96 people died, was caused by hooligans pushing and shoving.
Wiltshire Council said it received dozens of complaints about Cllr Hawker’s comments but cannot take action because they were made in a personal capacity, and not as a councillor.
He commented on Twitter on Monday, in response to an earlier slur by Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt, who also linked hooliganism to the tragedy.
Cllr Hawker, 48, wrote: “Culture Minister Hunt should not have apologised. Hillsborough disaster WAS caused by hooligans pushing and shoving!!!
“I sympathise with the victims, but just being real about the culprits. Pushing hard in a crowd is unruly, aggressive and dangerous.
“I regard hooliganism as the root cause of Hillsborough disaster, but other faults also occurred eg. crass Police incompetence.”
He later made a cursory apology but then added: “Root problem, I think, was the hooligan context and culture that caused the pens/fences & police attitude and actions that occurred. My last tweet on Hillsboro: My views on this are solely my own and only I need or can answer for them *No-one else* 3 yrs to next election.”
He later removed the comments. But on Wednesday he said: “Quite clearly a large number of people from a certain part of the UK want to keep talking about it. Some of them are abusive and are obsessed about the matter.
“I understand that they have lost relatives, but it was 21 years ago.
“As far as I am concerned things have moved on. I really don’t know how to deal with it any more than I have already. I removed the Tweets. This will have blown over in a week’s time.”
Mr Hawker admitted he has no connection with Hillsborough. “I can’t say I was there but I was watching the telly on the day and saw it all happen,” he said. T
The Taylor Report, released in 1990, revealed that police control and the design of the stadium were to blame for the tragedy and not the fans.
Cllr Hawker, who lives on the Leigh Park estate in Westbury, said he has received hundreds of e-mails, some of which have been threatening in nature, but does not intend to contact the police.
He added: “Most of the comments I’ve received are from people that don’t know me and are extremely abusive. My comments were not aimed at the victims of the disaster, but at those doing the pushing.”
In 2005 he quit the Conservatives after rowing with fellow members.
Wiltshire Council leader Jane Scott said: “Mr Hawker is not an employee of the council but is an elected independent councillor. He is not a member of the Conservative administration and, as leader of that administration, I have no control over his outpourings. I, and my administration wholly disassociate ourselves from the comments and views expressed by Cllr Hawker and we will be confirming this nationally.”
Council chief executive Andrew Kerr said: “Many people have expressed their distress and anger about what he said.
“I apologise wholeheartedly for that distress. However, Cllr Hawker made those comments on his personal Twitter site, and was expressing his personal views.”
