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Topman reignites Hillsborough anger with ill-judged shirt

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By John Glenday, Reporter

March 16, 2018 | 2 min read

Topman is coming under mounting pressure to withdraw a controversial shirt from sale after being criticised for displaying an apparent reference to the Hillsborough disaster.

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Topman reignites Hillsborough anger with ill-judged shirt

The red ‘Goes Around’ T-shirt, emblazoned with the number 96 on its reverse, disappeared from the retailer’s website after families of those killed in the 1989 tragedy pointed out that this was the precise number of those who died.

While there is no suggestion that the parallels were deliberate in nature, the decision to use Liverpool Football Club colours and a reference to the phrase ‘What goes around comes around’ proved too much for some who had raw memories reawakened.

Louise Brookes, who lost her brother Andrew in the tragedy, feared that the episode would be used as a way of "antagonising Liverpool fans", and said: “I really do believe it is something to do with Hillsborough.

"I would like it removed from sale and I do want [Topman] to explain how this shirt came about and what the thinking was."

The campaign has already picked up steam on social media with calls for a boycott. Topman has yet to respond to the episode.

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