I agree we should respect their views but as someone else said, you can respect without totally agreeing. To say 'end of debate' isn't helpful: this is an issue that should always be up for discussion because, if nothing else, it reminds us not to take safety for granted and bury our heads in the sand.
If in a future disaster, god forbid, the current seating option is proved to be unsafe and there had already been a safer option at hand (eg safe standing), how would we feel knowing it could have been prevented? There shouldn't be taboos when discussing safety and protecting supporters. Safe standing may not be the best option, but if it is an improvement on what we currently have then it would be negligent not to even consider it.