Hillsborough Justice Campaign. 2 mins to Help?

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Norman Bettison - the policeman believed to be at the very heart of the ‘Black Propaganda’ unit which white-washed the South Yorkshire Police and slandered innocent Liverpool supporters at Hillsborough, including the dead - is currently in possession of an honorary degree from Liverpool John Moores University.

Last September, when the Hillsborough Independent Panel Report was published, Mayor Joe Anderson led a campaign requesting LJMU to strip Bettison of this honour. At the time, the university’s Vice Chancellor responded with a standard email stating:

“The University can confirm that it has received a number of requests to rescind the Honorary Fellowship conferred on Sir Norman Bettison in 2004.

The University will consider these requests in accordance with due process.”

Over six months later, LJMU had done nothing, even as, on March 28th, the IPCC found Norman Bettison had a case to answer for “...discreditable conduct and abuse of authority.”

In response, Joe Anderson warned the University that the scandal of Bettison’s fellowship will not go away, while Margaret Aspinall repeated calls for LJMU to remove the honour. In reply, LJMU said it would issue a statement.

A week later, no such statement has been forthcoming.

After discussion with the Mayor’s office, RAWK is now asking all our members to make our disgust at this prevarication known to the Vice Chancellor’s office. His email address and a draft template are below.

Steve Rotheram, MP for Walton, has also issued this statement to us:
"There are many individuals and organisations that are worthy recipients of honorary awards from JMU, but Sir Norman doesn’t fit into that category. In light of last week's damning IPCC report, I would urge Liverpool John Moores University to do the right thing by the families and strip Norman Bettison of his honour. A failure to do so makes a mockery of the system and also fails to recognise the strength of feeling on this issue”.

Feel free to add this to any missive you choose to send to LJMU.

We assume LJMU is eager to attract foreign students so this is one campaign our fantastic foreign support can join in with.

Please all of you spread this to other internet forums and tweet to get #jettisonbettison trending. Please feel free to ignore the template, or embellish to your own personal tastes as we normally advise with templates but - I scarcely need to say this but we always should say it - keep your own emails clean and polite.

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n.p.weatherill@ljmu.ac.uk

Try cc-ing to:

P.Broadhead@ljmu.ac.uk
c.mcmahon2@ljmu.ac.uk
S.Doran@ljmu.ac.uk


Dear Professor Weatherill

I consider it a disgrace that in the six months since the HIP report, you have failed to rescind the Honorary Fellowship LJMU bestowed on Norman Bettison, and that you have failed to respond to the public call of bereaved mother Margaret Aspinall, in the wake of the IPCC’s March 28th report, when she stated, "The man is an absolute disgrace. In the IPCC’s own words, this was gross misconduct ... a very serious offence ... We want to see him stripped of ... his Honorary Fellowship from Liverpool John Moores University."

It is shameful that LJMU continues to offer Bettison the boost to reputation, with its implication of achievement and respectability, that this honour bestows. It offers him the mental comfort of knowing that an institution bearing the name of this city continues to support him.

The people of this city and Liverpool FC supporters everywhere demand LJMU does the decent thing and strips Bettison of the fellowship immediately.

Yours sincerely

more Details here