BNP stands accused over leaflet drops

Far-right activists have been accused of “political intimidation” after encouraging neighbours to confront a prominent anti-racist campaigner in his own home.

About 20 members of the newly-formed far right group Wirral British National Party dropped 2,500 leaflets in Wallasey close to Merseyside Trade Union Congress leader Alec McFadden’s home. The leaflets urge people to confront Mr McFadden [left] at his home and the maildrop coincided with him being in Liverpool at the front of an anti-racism rally. The only people at home were Mr McFadden’s two teenage daughters, who have been brought up in the Jewish faith.

Mr McFadden said: “They knew that I was leading the march, so they chose the moment to give these leaflets out, also knowing I’m a single parent with two teenage daughters.”

Mr McFadden was repeatedly stabbed to the face and torso in front of his now 16-year-old daughter, on the doorstep of his home in May, 2006. He believes the assailant was a fascist sympathiser and has had to alter his day-to-day life to ward off future attacks by such “radical thugs”.

Police have had to intervene after a neo-Nazi website featured pictures of Mr McFadden and he received death threats.

This weekend, Chief Supt Steve Ashley said the force was aware that leaflets were distributed in an area of Wallasey on Saturday. He said: “The content is being reviewed to determine if any criminal offence has been committed, and police patrols have been stepped up in the area.”

The latest pressure being applied on the trade union leader comes as the issue of “jobs from British workers” dominates many of the national papers.

Wirral BNP literature says: “Instead of defending British Workers, McFadden was holding an anti-racism/anti-BNP march in Liverpool while workers were being made redundant.”

They accuse him of being unpatriotic and allowing jobs to fall into the hand of immigrants while British people lose out in the current economic downturn. But Mr McFadden emphatically denies this. He said: “In January and February, 2008, I did the first case in Britain for young men when Polish workers were brought in on half the wages of British workers. I won the case, earning them thousands of pounds.

“I stand up for the fair treatment of workers, whoever they are. There is no excuse for what has been going on. My children shouldn’t have to face intimidation for any reason. My daughters were very upset when they heard about this.”

A neighbour and the National Union of Journalists leader in Merseyside, Mike Studley, said the incident was “an appalling act of political intimidation.”

Liverpool Daily Post