Nothing he said was true. It's uneducated nonsense.
I never stood on terraces but I've watched plenty of old matches and spoke to a lot of people that regularly did stand on terraces. Supporters were packed in like sardines - they could barely move at the best of times. To the people at the back, trying to get into the stand, nothing unusual was happening. Do you really believe had they known that people were being crushed at the front, that they'd carry on trying to get into the stand?
I didnt' say they did, however there is a point where people have room to stand and aren't being crushed, and a point where there are too many people, and the only way you cause crushing is by people at the back pushing when there is no more room left.
Have you ever pushed someone who is standing alone in a big open area, and its easy. Ever pushed someone surrounded by people, its much harder. There is a point with common sense where you are pushing too hard and its stupid and dangerous. It is literally impossible to not have passed this point.
If I go to a stadium and it takes THAT much effort to get inside, well I'm either ignorant or I wouldn't push that hard because I would realise that if there are THAT many people in there that I have to push THAT hard to get in, its ridiculously dangerous. Same goes with a train, if people slightly push to make a little room and get on, when you push and the crowd resists, you stop. Again this happens everywhere, it happens on trains. There is a point where it becomes obvious that pushing more is dangerous and there is no more room. I've been right at the front of a platform leaving Arsenal and somehow don't get shoved from behind, because there are that many people that everyone at the back has sensibly stopped rather than just keep going.
THere is shoulder to shoulder jostling in most stadiums, particularly leaving as everyone leaves at the same time while they often go in over a heck of a lot longer. Every single time there is a tight crowd, every single time at every single stadium if people at the back just start shoving forwards, you would get crushing, people CHOOSE not to do this.
Clearly at some point people were pushing that hard. Ignorance that your shoving at the back was hurting people at the front does NOT mean you aren't responsible, it doesn't mean you did it on purpose, if those at the back hadn't pushed forwards, the people at the front would not have been crushed, its as simple as that.
It's also worth noting that people can be crushed in area's that aren't pushed past capacity, its happened quite a lot of times, sporting events, concerts, when a completely safe amount of people for no reason surge forwards and crush people. The capacity doesn't have a lot to do with crushing its a crowd acting irresponsibly and dangerously, this can happen anywhere, at any time, for basically any reason, usually ignorance of the danger. All it takes is some people at the back to decide to push forwards ignoring the danger, not even considering it, and people can get crushed. Considering this area was packed full and people were still piling in, I don't think they intended it, but it was pure stupidity. If people pack into an area that is already completely full, what do people think will be the outcome.
