Today, activists from Liverpool Antifascists delivered leaflets in Halewood. The event was an overall success, but once again Merseyside BNP revealed that they rely more on intimidation tactics than on politics to get their point across.As we set off from the Summerfield on Hillfoot Avenue, there was a brief encounter with a BNP supporter. Mistaking the antifascists for the BNP, he had joined us and asked whether Peter Tierney would be turning up soon. One activist explained to him that he was in the wrong group, whilst grabbing the opportunity to offer him a leaflet and explain why the BNP were not the party for anybody genuinely concerned with the plight of the working class. Events later in the day suggested that an antifascist making a similar mistake would have gotten more than a leaflet.
Despite the gloomy weather, there was a good turnout of activists, who managed to cover a significant area and deliver 500 leaflets in the surrounding working class estates. The event was extremely succesful and, as with a leafleting session around the shops the previous week, the response from the public was an overwhelmingly positive one.
On the way back to the original meeting point, however, we encountered Peter and Andrew Tierney. The brothers, along with an unidentified third fascist, had been delivering leaflets of their own and were just about to leave in Peter’s Land Rover. When they recognised several of the antifascists, however, they were quick to grab their cameras and start taking pictures.
Within moments, they were circling around the tired group of leafleters, taking photos as close as they could and chasing around those who tried to turn their face away. Their clear aim was to intimidate and provoke a small group of passers-by (at this point, they had distributed all their material and had nothing on them to identify their allegiances) which included two women, one of them elderly. At one point Peter, still awaiting trial for assaulting an antifascist back in April, referred to one man as a “shithouse” for not rising to the provocation. His brother Andrew, whose photographs and videos have emerged on Redwatch and various other neo-Nazi hate sites, suggested instigating a third-party assault. “Let’s get some local lads in, nothing to do with us, of course,” were his exact words, after feigning gangster-status by declaring that the leafleters should leave because “this is our territory.”
However, Liverpool Antifascists held our ground. If we had left, we risked being followed, which left individuals particularly vulnerable once they had to part ways. And if we had arisen to the provocation, it looked as though more BNP supporters would have emerged from the nearby pub to support the Tierney brothers. Instead, we stayed where we were until the two thugs got bored, seeing they weren’t getting a rise, and scuttled off.
To those familiar with the BNP, or indeed the Tierneys, this incident will come as no surprise. It also serves as a timely reminder that the party remain, despite their propaganda line, violent goons willing to threaten and intimidate anybody who dares oppose their fascist politics.
We must make sure, no matter what, that these thugs are not allowed to gain ground in Liverpool, Knowsley, or elsewhere.
¡No Pasarán!
Liverpool Antifascists
10 comments:
It's telling that Tierney stated, “Let’s get some local lads in, nothing to do with us, of course,”. Had these local lads attacked the anti-racists and been convicted you can bet that Tierney and the BNP would wash their hands of them and have nothing to do with them. These 'foot soldiers' should wake up and see themselves as the dupes they are.
Today, activists from Liverpool Antifascists delivered leaflets in Halewood. The event was an overall success, but once again Merseyside BNP revealed that they rely more on intimidation tactics than on politics to get their point across
Sounds like you not the BNP.
''Sounds like you not the BNP''.
yea, that's right, 'anti fascist fascists', of course....
The fact is, that Tierney and his followers are old bnp through and through. The kind of cranks and weirdos that have always been attracted to the party in the days when (sans internet to froth and masterbate in front of!) they attempted to intimidate and bully folk on 'the street' (an embarrassing and misused couple of words if ever there was one btw!).
Soon enough you willl come to learn that your internet presence is worth nowt, and we can get to battering you again.
cock end.
"Sounds like you not the BNP."
You don't read words or process facts, then, I take it? Just believe what the central party tells you to?
Good on ya for a great days work. Me and the boss intercepted a bunch of BNP gumbies leafletting in Harrow (and, believe me, the word gumbies is an understatement - these idiots were like failed extras from The Addams Family) as the BNP were trying to capitalise on the EDL and SIOE's efforts in our area.
We stopped them in the street and took great pleasure in recounting Mark Collett's comments about Adolf Hitler for the passers-by, telling them to go and fuck themselves etc. We got the BNP leaflets panned in the local newspaper and (for the want of any alternatives) distributed 150 Hope not Hate and 400 UAF leaflets to the same streets the BNP had visited.
Please take this as constructive criticism if I query the usefulness of slogans like "No Pasaran". I'm well aware of political history of the Spanish Civil War and believe me I'm as moved by the history of Spanish Anti-Fascism as the best of them, BUT there are 2 things to remember about "No Pasaran" -
1. It's in Spanish. If we want to communicate with "ordinary", apolitical or even right-wing punters in the UK we need to speak ENGLISH and devise slogans that people who don't give a f**k about lefty-wing history UNDERSTAND
2. Anti-Fascists LOST in Spain (unfortunately the Fascists definitely DID "Pasaran") so the irony of flagging up that failure with chants of No Pasaran might be lost on left-wing trainspotters but it certainly isn't lost on the BNP. Chants like this still work in Madrid, where people know that half a million Spaniards were murdered by Franco, but they're pointless, even counter-productive, in the UK.
Ditto for chants of "Alerta, Alerta, Anti-Fascista" in Glasgow - how many Saturday shoppers in Glasgow are actual Sion Dios fans?
I have experienced the bnp using the same tactics in east yorkshire, intimidation seems to come naturally to them.
When they are confronted with rational debate they either stutter and blub like Griffin on QT or resort to violent and thuggish threats. Despite Griffos letters to activists last year they continue to let their veils of respectability slip.
Did this loser used to be a new ager who turned to the far right for cheap thrills?
cock end.
How apt!
Emmm!
Is Tierny on Bail ?
What are his bail conditions ?
Were any of the comrades Tierney and his sad chums were photographing and threatening witnesses or potential witnesses at his trial ?
If there are photos, including CCTV footage could this be worth a word with Plod to see if there are grounds to nick the facists for
Breach of bail conditions,
and attempts to pervert the course of justice ?
Just a thought -
Old Sailor !
That's a very fethcing black shirt this BNP non-fascist is sporting.
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