The British Constitution Group in Birkenhead

Karen Otty, another BNP member moving around the far-right

According to an anti-fascist comrade over the water, the gathering was “a strange collection.” On Monday afternoon, several hundred people assembled outside a court in Birkenhead and attempted to arrest a judge. The protest occurred under the banner of the “British Constitution Group.” But who are they?

My comrade told me that “most of the Liverpool BNP contingent” were there, along with “plenty of suits, plenty of hippy types with tie dye and dreadlocks, some urban commandos with camouflaged faces, and some eccentric David Icke types, one holding a banner saying ‘judges are lizards!’” In terms of fascists, I can recognise Liverpool BNP’s current branch fundholder Karen Otty from the videos on the Wirral Globe website.

It seems Liverpool Organiser and unhinged fruitbat Mike Whitby was there too, at one point being bundled away by police when attempting to enter the court.

The event itself was for Roger Hayes, an ex-member of UKIP, and his refusal to pay council tax. This is as part of the BCG’s campaign of “lawful rebellion,” whereby “a variety of actions may be taken that will eventually lead to the unequivocal recognition of our constitution and the acknowledgement of the reassertion of our national sovereignty.”

Hayes’ sophistry in court has made him a cult hero to the lunatic fringes of the libertarian right, particularly the “freeman on the land” movement. But their absurd idea – that you only have to declare yourself unbound by common law and the state (albeit begrudgingly) accepts this – has also seeped into the far-right. Hence the circular argument over the concept on VNN when Mike Whitby claimed to have used the tactic after being dragged away for throthing at the mouth and calling everyone “communist paedophiles.”

What remains to be seen is whether more will come of this than one rather oddball protest. We know from the rantings on the Liverpool BNP blog, not least Peter Tierney’s, that the rainbow of conspiracy theories that are attached to such movements have support on the far-right. It is thus safe to assume that if another event occurs fascists will be found somewhere amongst the crowd.

The BCG itself cannot be identified as a fascist grouping. It is certainly reactionary, and plays into nationalist sentiments with talk of “national sovereignty” and “acts of treason” by those “conspir[ing] to transfer our national sovereignty into the hands of foreign governance.” But it’s use of terms such as “the shadowy elite of the supranational and criminal banking cartel” play to the conspiracists in much the same way. It thus comes across as a bizarre cross between the Tea Party and the 9/11 Truth Movement.

Ultimately, there are two things we know for certain about the British Constitution Group. One, that it attracts the attention of fascists. And two, that it is a movement of reaction, diverting people’s anger and energy away from the realities of class struggle. Both points make it worth keeping an eye on.

Liverpool Antifascists

Thanks to NewsHound for the heads-up

BNP’s campaign falls flat in Croxteth

The British National Party has failed to secure a seat in the council by-election in Croxteth. Despite determined campaigning, the people of the ward overwhelmingly rejected the fascist party and its violent convict candidate, Peter Tierney.

Tierney, 52, owns the Quiggins Attique antiques shop on Aigburth Road and holds a conviction for actual bodily harm. In April 2009, he assaulted a man with a camera tripod for handing out anti-fascist leaflets in Liverpool City Centre. Tierney’s personal election leaflet claimed that he was against bullying.

As part of his campaign, the BNP turned out in the ward numerous times to deliver leaflets door-to-door.They also held a rally in the area on polling day, whilst DVDs filled with racist propaganda were dropped through letter boxes under the title of “Liverpool Anti-Traitors.” The DVDs contain a version of the CCTV footage from Peter Tierney’s court case, which the party have time-lapsed to try and make it appear as though he was innocent. They also contain a You Tube BNP video from the general election, footage of a Welsh branch of the BNP being “horrified” by the “terrifying” presence of ethnic minorities in Wembley, and several videos espousing racial separatism which were created and promoted by white supremacist groups.

At the polls, the BNP’s share of the vote dropped to 2.58% from the 3.11% they gained when complete unknown George Muse stood for the party in Croxteth in 2008.

The full breakdown of results is as follows:

Lab: 1447
Lab: 1424
LD: 611
LD: 479
SLP: 135
BNP: 117 (2.58%)
SLP: 70
Green: 63
UKIP: 50
English Democrats: 35
English Democrats: 33
Con: 31
Con: 29
UKIP: 19

A spokesperson for Liverpool Antifascists said: “This result fits with a typical pattern for the BNP. Despite being far more active in campaigning than any other party, they have been roundly rejected, and their share of the vote has decreased with a higher turnout. After a series of succesful election campaigns by Liverpool Antifascists, and being run out of the City Centre twice in a row, people are alert to the fact that they are not an alternative to mainstream politics but its worst extreme. And at a time when the working class are under concerted attack from those in power, less and less people are convinced by the dead-end road of race politics.”

Martin Cummins and Stephanie Till of Labour were elected to represent Croxteth ward. Till, as the lowest polling of the two victors, will have to defend her seat at the local elections in May.

Liverpool Antifascists

BNP stand violent convicted criminal in Croxteth by-Election

A freeze-frame from the CCTV footage of the incident,
as uploaded to YouTube by Liverpool BNP themselves

The British National Party’s candidate in the upcoming Croxteth council by-election has a conviction for violently assaulting a political opponent during the European elections two years ago.

The by-election is being held due to the recent death of Councillor Rose Bailey and the resignation of Councillor Phil Moffatt. The BNP’s chosen candidate is Peter Tierney, who owns the Quiggins Attique antique shop on Aigburth Road, who is considered a “super-activist” by the party.

In April 2008, Tierney used a camera tripod to whack a trade unionist and anti-fascist campaigner across the head from behind. The wound had to be glued together in hospital. He pleaded not guilty on the grounds of self-defence, but after viewing the CCTV footage, a jury unanimously found him guilty of assault and causing actual bodily harm.

Commenting on his decision to stand, a spokesperson for Liverpool Antifascists said; “Peter Tierney is just the latest in a long line of high-profile BNP candidates with criminal records for violence. That he is so highly regarded by his party in Liverpool and nationally demonstrates that, despite token efforts to clean-up their image, violence and intimidation against political opponents remains part of their strategy. His brother, Andrew, has said that those who oppose the BNP are ‘fair game. Local organiser Mike Whitby has promised that anti-fascists’ identities will end up on ‘a website far worse than Red Watch,’ the hate site which has inspired attacks on activists’ homes and families.”

“In the 2010 General Election and in every local election they have contested, the BNP have been roundly rejected by the people of Liverpool. When they recently tried to campaign in the City Centre, they were chased off the streets – twice. Liverpool Antifascists hopes that the people of Croxteth show the same good sense and give this fascist thug the boot.”

The Croxteth by-election will take place on Thursday 18th November.

Liverpool Antifascists

Disorder and violence as Liverpool BNP purges dissidents

On Monday, after Peter Tierney was sentenced to 100 hours community service and twenty Liverpool and Salford BNP activists made a show of themselves in support of him, it seems that they went out on the lash. Or at least Gary Lucas did – reports from witnesses place him in Lime Street Station, looking a right state and surrounded by police officers.

A shouted inquiry as to his and Peter’s wellbeing wasn’t taken well, and the ranting lunatic had to be marched away by his circle of police minders. If anybody has any information on what led to this point, and what came afterwards, it will be gratefully received.

In more serious matters, it appears that the fracture in the party between Nick Griffin’s supporters and the faction who favour Eddy Butler’s leadership challenge is heating up.

During the week, regional organiser Clive Jefferson issued suspension notices to Peter Squire, Peter Stafford Jnr, and Tony Ward. There have been rumours of others also being suspended, but these are as yet unverified.

The notice issued by Jefferson reads as follows:

Your membership of the British National Party has been suspended, pending an investigation into alleged serious breaches of the BNP Code of Conduct.

While suspended you may not take part in any Party event, attend meetings or send circulars that give the impression that you hold any position within the Party. You are required to fully comply with the Data Protection Act 1998 and the Party constitution.

Failure to comply with these requirements could result in your expulsion from membership of the Party, and Civil or Criminal proceedings being taken against you.

You will be informed of the outcome of the investigation in due course.

This meant that the three dissidents had to sit in the public bar yesterday, as the BNP held a meeting in the Aigburth People’s Hall.

There, Clive Jefferson announced the new leadership of the Liverpool branch. Mike Whitby from Wrexham, who admitted on Monday that pre-recording chants “makes things easier” than trusting the local goonery to speak for themselves, is now the branch organiser. In the spirit of “putting local people first,” no doubt! Karen Otty is the branch’s fundholder, and Andy Leary has been made the new branch secretary.

It seems that this didn’t go down well with all the membership, Jefferson and Whitby having to fend off questions on the change of leadership and the purging of activists. That Andy Leary has been a party member for less than two years, and is therefore not allowed to hold an official position under the party constitution, was a major bone of contention.

Jefferson demonstrated that fascist bureaucrats are no different than any other bureaucrats, only able to splutter and respond that he would “have to look it up.” Unable to answer any other questions, he soon dissolved the meeting.

With the close of the meeting, there came violence.

Details are still sketchy, but we know that words were exchanged between the Tierneys and Squire shortly before the place erupted. Jefferson was knocked over at some point, ex-army man Greenhalgh taking out three of his minders. Terence Oaks’ wife Marie is said to have been fighting with Veronika Martel, she who likes to bash pot and pans at protests and hold Union Flags upside down, leaving her battered and bruised.

Gary Lucas’s heroic contribution was to shout “tranny” at Tony Ward whilst hiding behind minders. Just as he hid in the Land Rover and swore through the window when the Tierneys confronted members of Liverpool Antifascists in Halewood.

Liverpool Antifascists does not support either side of this shambolic debacle. The dissident faction are still fascists, and their vision for society remains one that we vehemently oppose. However, their treatment simply for supporting a challenger to Nick Griffin’s leadership demonstrates how real the BNP’s commitment to “democracy” is. The party is run with an iron grip, all opponents of Griffin’s hold on power – Butler and his supporters are not the first – being ruthlessly purged.

As it is with the party, so it would be with the country, in both cases the professed commitment to democracy being a lie and a sham.

At the same time, the violence here shows why the threat of the far-right isn’t solely (or even primarily) electoral. From Peter Tierney’s use of a camera tripod to the barney in the Aigburth People’s Hall, the price of dissent is political violence. Disagree with the BNP and where they can get away with it they will physically attack you.

That is why Liverpool Antifascists remain committed to opposing fascism in whatever guise it takes.

Liverpool Antifascists

Liverpool Anti-fascists counter-demonstration - 12th July 2010

The Liverpool branch of the British National Party will be holding a demonstration outside Liverpool Crown Court on Monday 12th July. Liverpool Antifascists are asking people to turn out in opposition to their presence.


The fascist demonstration is in support of Peter Tierney (above), who faces sentencing that day for actual bodily harm.

The BNP claim that Tierney was wrongly convicted, despite clear CCTV evidence showing him running up behind an antifascist activist and hitting them across the head with a camera tripod. The antifascist needed to have the wound glued together in hospital after the incident.

A spokesperson for Liverpool Antifascists said: “Liverpool is a working class city with long-standing immigrant communities, and the BNP’s politics have no relevance here. We showed them that on 6th May when their every candidate they stood was decisively rejected.

“But the Tierney incident and the party’s continued support for that violent lunatic shows that they are a threat far beyond the ballot box. The BNP’s politics are the politics of violent nationalism, and we need to show them that they aren’t welcome in our city or anywhere else.”

Assemble at the Victoria Monument, Derby Square, from 8.30 am on Monday 12th July.

Liverpool Antifascists

The BNP, EDL & Violence by ‘Malatesta’

As the BNP continue to implode the EDL are siphoning off support for their own brand of racism.

BNP
It has been a bad week for the BNP again with the guilty verdicts on hedgerow terrorist David Lucas for gunpowder and ammo and Peter Tierney of Liverpool BNP guilty of assault (they apparently share the same fashion consultant). Liverpool BNP are also in a bit of a homophobic tizz over the sexual proclivities of one of their members. (There is an amusingly rancid thread on VNN if you need any more info on that one.) Post-election Red, White and Blues have drastically affected Nick Griffin and there is much disharmony in the party. Griffin is clearly worried about a coup and in-between expelling former golden boy Mark Collett and being shafted by Simon Bennett over the website, he has been busy expelling members in the West Country and seeking out other victims. Eddie Butler is attempting a leadership challenge with some support from the disparate Nazis posting on the forums and the pro-Griffin smear machine is in full swing against him. All of which, combined with the dismal showing at the hustings, is benefitting the EDL.

The EDL
The ‘non-racist, non-violent’ EDL are much more attractive to the casual and not-so-casual racist in that they offer the potential of a scrap, a barrel of lager and a much needed ego-boost. This week has been eventful on a small level for the EDL. At the weekend a few EDL ‘supporters’ confronted a pro-Palestinian demo in Birmingham and after a bit of fruitless argy-bargy attempted to go and watch the England game but found themselves barred from the boozers and filmed by the cops. They then went home to watch the telly. On Tuesday, a handful of EDL went to Whitechapel in East London and after being kettled into a boozer for a bit were then escorted out of the area by the cops for their own safety, pursued by a large and angry crowd of locals. We can presume that the EDL are not likely to set up a local chapter there. Further out in Barking on the same day the EDL/BNP were attending the Royal Anglian homecoming parade as were ‘Muslims Against Crusades.’ This new grupuscule is very similar in tactics and ideology to Anselm Choudary’s Islam4UK and after making a bit of noise they were abused by the EDL/BNP contingent and then escorted away by the police. These ‘militant Islamic’ groups are as suspect as the EDL in that they gather in extremists who are then more easily monitored by the state. With their usual naivety the EDL assume that all anti-fascists, UAF, SWP etc., support these bozos and are therefore claiming a great victory against anti-fascism. So this week’s activities by the EDL have amounted to little more than a humiliation in Whitechapel, several photos to put in their hooligan scrapbooks and a few crowing posts on Indymedia. The SDL have also planned a demo in Kilmarnock this weekend but if their previous excursions north are anything to go by this may be dismal.

English Values?
The EDL claim that they are standing up for English values yet are vague about what these actually are. Most people would say ‘English values’ are tolerance, plurality, peace, a long heritage of mixed ethnicities dating back to Roman times and a simple desire to get on with life. The EDL’s values tend to revolve around drunken violence. The way that the EDL website perceives themselves and the reality differ enormously: they describe EDL demos like Sunday picnics, all lads together being hassled by the cops and the beastly UAF.

Peace?
The EDL say they are a peaceful protest group who merely oppose militant Islam but their visits to places like Whitechapel and the planned one in Bradford are guaranteed to cause trouble. The EDL inflate the threat of ‘militant Islam’ and use the term loosely to legitimise their racism. Why do they choose Bolton or Bradford? Is it because they know for a fact there are ‘preachers of hate’ there or is it simply to have a go at Muslims? Where is the evidence that Bolton or Bradford are full of ‘Islamic extremists’ as opposed to just Muslim communities? The racist/pro-BNP chants on the demos do little to disguise their bigotry. On the various forums the EDL criticise the burkah and halal as if they are pro-feminist vegetarians which again serve as an excuse to have a go at Muslims. The EDL provoke communities with a strong Muslim presence and then pretend surprise when they are opposed by people who take umbrage at a bunch of outsiders disrupting their town. And the potential for violence is precisely the attraction of the EDL: they attract fascists who can no longer hold marches as they are outnumbered by the opposition, and football hooligans who can no longer fight at football matches due to heavy surveillance.

How many more photos and quotes do the EDL need before they admit they are riddled with BNP members, drunks, hooligans, racists and fascists. No one is saying that all EDL are like this for there is clearly a moderate wing but to deny this is beginning to sound a bit delusional. If the EDL really had it in them, they would forcibly exclude the vocally racist, provocative behaviour and Nazi following. But they do not. The fascist websites frequently include comments from those who have been on the demos. One reason the EDL are less keen on a productive exclusion policy is that like most far-right groups they rely on quantity not quality. This has led any number of fascist grupuscules imploding in acrimony, accusations and violence. They will take anyone regardless of ideological purity. These ‘internal contradictions’ will cause the EDL problems in the future.

Malatesta at Indymedia

Peter Tierney guilty of actual bodily harm

Peter Tierney - yet another BNP thug

High-profile BNP member Peter Tierney has been found guilty of assault and causing actual bodily harm to an anti-fascist protester on St George’s Day last year.

During the incident, which was captured on CCTV, Tierney swung a camera tripod at the back of the activist’s head. The victim subsequently needed his head wound gluing up at hospital. The jury took just an hour to find Tierney guilty, rejecting the notion that he acted in self-defence and was “in danger for my life.”

A spokesperson for Liverpool Antifascists said: “This is absolutely a positive result. Tierney’s guilt was clear-cut, as we have seen from the CCTV footage, and it is absurd that he has been able to drag this out for so long – at unneccesary expense to the taxpayer and stress to the victim. Liverpool Antifascists have protested at every single one of Tierney’s court appearances.

“Despite the wish of the BNP that this incident be forgotten, we have refused to turn a blind eye to the violent criminality of so prominent a member in Liverpool BNP. This result vindicates our stance.”

The sentence will be announced on July 12th. Judge John Roberts, adjourning, said: “I have not made a final decision on sentencing. That would be wrong at this stage, but provisionally I am thinking of some kind of community service. To decide how I should sentence you I will need a report from probation services.”

Peter Tierney has engaged in aggression and violence during BNP activism, and in full view of his fellow members. Liverpool BNP’s support of him, and of this violent criminality, has been unwavering throughout the trial. Political violence is a characteristic of fascism, and Liverpool Antifascists are glad that the truth has come out.

Liverpool Antifascists

Peter Tierney trial moved from Monday 14th to Wednesday 16th June

Urgent! Change of date for Peter Tierney trial and protest - Wednesday June 16th

Liverpool Antifascists have learned that BNP member and donor Peter Tierney’s trial has been moved from Monday 14th June to Wednesday 16th June. The planned antifascist protest will now take place on this date.

Tierney is accused of assaulting a trade unionist and anti-fascist protester in April last year. The change of court date represents a clear attempt to diminish the attention this trial receives, but Liverpool Antifascists remain determined that fascist violence cannot simply be forgotten. We have demonstrated at every one of Tierney’s previous court appearances and this will be no different.

Assemble at 8.30am, Liverpool Crown Court, Derby Square, on Wednesday 16th June

We are looking to get the largest possible turnout at the court on the Wednesday and the two following days for which the trial is scheduled. We urge all local and regional trade unions and anti-fascist organisations to ensure their banner is at the demonstration.

Liverpool Antifascists

Peter Tierney on trial (again)

The BNP's Peter Tierney - accused of assaulting anti-fascists

Peter Tierney on Trial – protest against fascist violence

On Monday 14th June Peter Tierney, high-profile member and donor for the Merseyside BNP, faces trial at Liverpool Crown Court. He is accused of assaulting a trade unionist and anti-fascist protester on St George’s Day last year.

Court proceedings have dragged on for over a year now, and Merseyside BNP would be more than happy to let the incident fade into obscurity. But Liverpool Antifascists are determined that fascists should not be allowed to sweep their violence under the carpet. They are calling for the trial to be met with protests from those who do not want political violence by the far-right to become a feature of their city.

A spokesperson for Liverpool Antifascists said: “This whole saga has dragged on for far too long now. The BNP are banking on this so that people get fed up with it and forget about it, but the fact is that this is not a gaffe or a poor choice of remark. It is an act of inexcusable violence by a high-profile member of a party trying to present itself as ‘mainstream’ and ‘respectable.’

“We are thus urging as many people as possible to turn up outside the Crown Court from 8.30am on the first day of the trial to demonstrate solidarity with the victim of this attack.”

Liverpool Antifascists stress that it is particularly important that trade unionists and other working class organisations take part. Merseyside BNP have a reputation for harassing trade unionists, whom they view as “anti-British traitors,” and their party is part of a fascist tradition which has long attacked attempts by the working class to organise and defend itself against injustice.

Violence by fascists must never be allowed to go unopposed.

Liverpool Antifascists

Fascists in profile: Karen Otty

As we approach the council and parliamentary elections on 6th May, a fair few up-and-coming fascists will receive exposure by standing in elections. Who are they and what, if anything, distinguishes them from the far-right’s old guard? Liverpool Antifascists takes a look. First up is Anfield candidate Karen Otty.

Full name: Karen Gillian Otty
DOB: 12th January 1974
Role: Secretary, Merseyside BNP
Standing: Anfield, prospective city councillor

Karen Otty [pictured, left, outside her delightful Anfield des res, with Jamie Luby and Peter Tierney] has been described by Merseyside BNP organiser Peter Squire, on the laughably illiterate Merseyside BNP blog, as a “female activist warrior Queen.” As far as we can tell, this is the “feminine” equivalent of the self-aggrandising title of “super activist” given to Peter Tierney and Tony Ward, essentially for seeking out confrontation and trying to intimidate the public.

However, on her Facebook profile, she describes herself thus;

'I have read an extensive amount of imaginative literature (Sci-fi, Fantasy, Horror) and I have also been avid fan of many Sci-fi programs. I found that such material stimulated my mind and allowed for new and creative ways of thinking. However, more recently I have developed a great appriciation for my own British History and am reading extensivly in this area. I completed my undergrad degree at Liverpool Hope in 1999 (Theology and Religious Studies 2:1). I also took courses in psycology and sociology. I then took up a place at Lancaster University to follow a Masters in Religious Studies. At Lancaster I was involved in extra-curricula Politics and Religion group. This presented an opportunity for staff and students to discuss related material of interest. I also participated in a post-graduate seminar group. This was designed as an informal arena for students to practise writing and presenting a lecture and chair the post-lecture discussion. I graduated from Lancaster in 2000 with a view to proceed to PhD. However after 3 years of trying for funding this did not happen! I decided to teach instead and in 2004 left Edge Hill with a PGCE in RE and Citizenship. Of course this never worked out either and I spent 2 miserable years on supply. I now have a ‘proper’ job that I could have got 10 years ago with 5 GCSE’s.'

Riveting stuff.With the BNP being her sole social outlet for the past 18 months, Otty has risen through the ranks quickly. As well as attending events such as the BNP’s Red, White & Blue scumfest, she has written articles for the BNP’s Identity magazine, and her day-to-day work for the party involves admin, paperwork, and sending out letters to members.But, it seems, the life of an activist warrior Queen and dedicated party apparatchik is not all paper-packing and envelope-licking.Here she is in London, during the recent public announcement of their membership rules changes;

Merseyside BNP at party election headquarters, London, 13/2/10.
Left to right: Karen Otty, Gary Lucas, Peter Squire, London Assembly
Member Richard Barnbrook, Terence Oakes, two unknowns, Andy Leary

Here she is at a protest outside Liverpool Crown Court, where BNP demonstrators made a holy show of themselves;

Left to right: Veronika Martel (face half-cut off picture),
Hazel Hesketh, unknown, Karen Otty, two unknowns, Peter Stafford Snr

And here she is at an English Defence League demonstration outside the House of Lords in support of Geert Wilders;

The BNP’s stance on the EDL is extremely clear. According to Nick Griffin, “the English Defence League is a dangerous and obvious “honey trap” fake organisation and is completely proscribed for any members of the British National Party.” But it is well known that this “proscription” isn’t enforced to any noteworthy degree and their marches remain well attended by members of the BNP and other assorted fascists.

Obviously, we cannot take this as concrete proof that Otty is in the EDL. Attending a demonstration they have held does not prove that she holds any kind of membership. It does prove that she is refusing to follow the proscription order and keep her distance from them.

The likelihood is that the combination of visceral racism and the desire for confrontation is to much for a half-hearted ban of one fascist organisation is not going to stop those from another fascist organisation coming along for kicks. For example here is what BNP member, and friend of Otty, Jamie Luby posted on his brother Eddie’s Facebook wall on the day of the EDL demo in Bolton;

Even if it turns out that Otty is not a member of the EDL, this is neither here nor there. What we do know is that she has attended at least one of their demonstrations and that she (not to mention our old friend, “super activist” Peter Tierney) maintain a close comradeship with Jamie Luby, who has openly professed his willingness to fight with “Pakis”.

Clearly, she is not of the new school of BNP activists, who would at least make pretensions to dissasociate themselves from such people. More than that, she remains a committed activist for the BNP, whose racist and anti-working class credentials are well established.

She wants your vote on 6th May, claiming to stand up for the local people of Anfield. It is worth remembering not only that she is a member of the party which stands opposed to organised labour and the idea of workers standing up for their rights, but she is the friend and colleague of seasoned fascists who are only too happy to use violence and intimidation against antifascists and trade unionists.

There are many ways to respond to the elections on May 6th. You may want to vote for a workers’ alternative, such as the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition, for the Greens as an antidote to the pro-business politics of the big three, or you may view voting as an unneccesary distraction from organising within our own communities.

Whatever the case, that is up to you and Liverpool Antifascists will not patronise you by telling you what to do with your vote.What we will say is that Karen Otty and her fellow fascist goons do not deserve it.

A vote for the BNP is not a protest vote – it is a vote for FASCISM.

Liverpool Antifascists

BNP pulls activists away from election campaign on Merseyside

Peter Tierney, Jamie Luby, some other twat and
Gary Lucas, some of Liverpool BNP's roving band of goons

Nick Griffin thinks the BNP have no chance of winning any seats on Merseyside on May 6th. He’s ordered local party workers down to London on two weekends before the election to help canvass in the Barking & Dagenham seat he’s contesting.

Liverpool BNP, like the good little fascists they are, have to obey orders, and are off to London while neglecting their own pathetic campaign here – so much for standing under the slogan of ‘local people first’!

Local people get kicked into touch when fuhrer Nick snaps his fingers.

Griffin’s contempt for Merseyside voters is well known. Having been elected as a North West MEP last June, he’s been virtually invisible in the region, preparing to abandon his constituents here for a cushy London parliamentary seat – and now he’s getting his local band of misfits and thugs to trail down to London to help him.

However, Liverpool Anti-Fascists aren’t going to take time off from our campaign against the BNP. We want to counter their racist lies, minimise their vote as much as we can and ensure they have no success locally.

Liverpool Antifascists

Peter Tierney denies camera tripod attack in BNP assault trial at Liverpool Crown Court

A member of the BNP hit an anti-fascist protestor round the head with a camera tripod as the two sides clashed in Liverpool city centre, a court was told.

Peter Tierney, 52, denies striking campaigner Nick Barnett, saying it was “an accident”. Tierney stood trial at Liverpool crown court yesterday after denying a charge of assault causing actual bodily harm.

John Dixon, prosecuting, told the court that on St George’s Day, Thursday April 23, last year, the BNP were handing out leaflets in Liverpool city centre. Mr Dixon said an “informal political movement” calling themselves the Merseyside Coalition Against Racism and Fascism – of which Mr Barnett is a member – heard about the campaigning and headed into the city to hand out their own leaflets.

The two sides clashed verbally in St John’s Gardens, behind St George’s Hall. Mr Barnett, 30, in his evidence said his group were shouting “Nazi scum” at the BNP, who were shouting back: “Get a wash, get a job”.

Mr Barnett said the BNP were moving toward the front of St George’s Hall and he went to run past them so he could hand out his leaflets first. As he did, he said he felt something hit him on the back of the head. When he turned around, Mr Barnett described seeing Tierney stood by him with the camera tripod in his hands. He went to hospital and had to have a cut to his head glued.

During his time on the witness stand, Tierney, of High Street, Hale Village, said the anti-fascists ran at them “screaming like banshees” and he only used the tripod as “a barrier” to stop himself and a friend being attacked as he felt they were in danger.

The jury of six men and six women watched CCTV of the incident numerous times throughout the day. The case was set for three days but is now expected to finish [today].

Liverpool Daily Post

Anti-BNP/Peter Tierney protest – new date March 17th

The trial of the BNP’s Peter Tierney for assault has been moved to Wednesday March 17th. Our protest against the BNP will therefore take place on that day: 9. 15am at the Victoria Monument, Derby Square, Liverpool 1.

New flyers and posters are attached. Please distribute widely. If you told anyone about the original date of this event, please let them know that it is now on the 17th.

The change means that we will NOT be leafleting Liverpool 8 tomorrow. A midweek date for leafleting will be set and advertised soon. We will still leaflet door-to-door in Toxteth on Saturday March 13th to build for this event.

We want the maximum possible turnout on the 17th to show that the BNP have no place in our city.


Leaflet
Poster

Liverpool Anti-Fascists

Peter Tierney and Merseyside BNP head to court yet again…

Andrew Tierney in typical pose

Today, Merseyside BNP “super-activist” Peter Tierney was up at the Crown Court to enter a plea on charges of assault. In response, Liverpool Antifascists turned up to distribute leaflets informing the public of exactly who Merseyside BNP has in its ranks.

Overall, the response to the leaflets from the public was a positive one and several hundred were distributed. The only negative response we received was from people who picked up on the word “BNP” and instantly became wary, only letting their guard down once they realised we were opposed to the fascists, not for them. Such a reaction from those mistakenly believing we supported the BNP is a common one, and betrays the depth of feeling against the party amongst the ordinary, working class people of Liverpool.

As a counterpoint, the fascists were out in force today, with Steve Greenhalgh, and Clive Jefferson amongst those most familiar to the BNP amongst the swarm of suited “activists” waiting to enter the court. And of course there was Andrew Tierney, who was happy to mingle with the gaggle of tracksuited boneheads brought in to make laughable attempts at intimidating us “reds.”

Steve Greenhalgh before the hissy fit that nearly saw him arrested
for breaching Section 5 of the Public Order Act, the same offence for
which one antifascist was branded a "thug" by Merseyside BNP and
had his photo, name, and address published on Redwatch

For as long as we were there, Andrew continued to film us. There were also shouts and attempts at goading from him and his fellow goons as time drew on. Perhaps due to the proximity of the crown court, the police (better known for protecting the BNP rather than persecuting them) actually responded to complaints about the filming.

Particularly ironic was the moment when one police officer threatened to charge Steve Greenhalgh with a breach of section 5 of the Public Order Act for swearing at him. It was this same breach that one of our own activists was found guilty of when Tierney’s accusations of assault and criminal damage were thrown out as untenable nonsense. For Merseyside BNP this amounted to a “serious public order offence,” though we imagine it will quickly become “police persecution” now that Greenhalgh is on the receiving end.

Having delivered our leaflets and accomplished what we needed to, antifascists then left the scene – and the boneheads – behind. We will, however, be returning when Tierney faces trial and he is finally forced to face the truth of his actions back in April.

Further updates on the case to follow soon.

Liverpool Antifascists

Anti-BNP demo in Liverpool Dec 9th

Peter Tierney, a prominent local member of the British National Party, is appearing at Liverpool Crown Court next Wednesday. In April he was arrested for assaulting a man who objected to racist leaflets he was distributing in the city centre. On Wednesday he will appear to enter a plea.

We will be holding a demonstration against the BNP from 9.30am on Wednesday December 9th outside the court in Derby Square, by the Victoria monument. We have already had a positive response from other local groups concerned about the growth of the racist and fascist BNP.

At each of Tierney's court appearances, we have held demonstrations in order to expose the real politics of the BNP and to build a strong anti-fascist movement in the city. Let's have another big turnout on Wednesday to show that we won't tolerate BNP violence and racism in Liverpool or anywhere else.

Liverpool Anti-Fascists

More intimidation tactics by Peter Tierney and Merseyside BNP

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

Former Quiggins owner Peter Tierney sued by his advisor

The former boss of Quiggins, in Liverpool, is accused of refusing to pay thousands of pounds in fees for expert help in the doomed battle to save his retail and cultural centre.

Urban planner Professor Iain Taylor is claiming ex-School Lane chief Peter Tierney [a BNP activist, pictured left] owes him over £30,000. This week, the matter ended up in Liverpool County Court and is expected to go to trial in the coming months.

Professor Taylor said he was hired by Mr Tierney when Quiggins, on School Lane, faced multi-million pound developer Grosvenor, in a high-profile public inquiry in 2003. The academic, now living in Canada, said that he struck a verbal contract with Tierney to pay him in the region of £11,000 for his services as a “campaign manager and expert witness”. But Mr Taylor, 66, alleges that, other than an initial payment of £1,000 and some expenses, he received no money.

The former Liverpool Institute pupil said the outstanding £11,000 fee had trebled due to interest and expenses incurred over the last six years. Ultimately, Quiggins lost the public inquiry which paved the way for the centre to be demolished, allowing Grosvenor to build the £1bn Liverpool One complex.

Prof Taylor said: “Peter was paying a lot of people for the campaign to save Quiggins – my bill was small potatoes to him. My fee was based on a 40 hour week, over a five week period, and my professional charge was discounted by 50%. Although there was nothing written down, we had a handshake deal, and it was clear what the arrangement was. But, after the settlement, it was like I’d been forgotten.”

The hearing at Liverpool County Court was adjourned until a later date. The ECHO contacted Mr Tierney, but he declined to talk about the civil dispute with Prof Taylor.

Grosvenor won a Compulsory Purchase Order to enable them to acquire the Quiggins building to create a new shopping arcade.

Peter Tierney, from Hale Village, opened Quiggins in the 1970s and built it into an alternative cultural market and shopping centre that attracts visitors from all over the world. Despite widespread support for Mr Tierney, he lost his fight to keep the hugely popular and iconic centre at its School Lane home.

The closure saw him and his brother Jimmy receive compensation, believed to be over £1m, to be shared between them.

Liverpool Daily Post

Note: Tierney is due back in court accused of assaulting an anti-fascist protestor, on October 29th.

BNP member Peter Tierney denies assaulting anti-fascist demonstrator

Protestors outside Liverpool Magistrate's Court today

A well-known member of the British National Party has denied assaulting an anti-facist demonstrator on St George's Day.

Peter Tierney, 52, is charged with assaulting a protestor in St John's Lane near St George's Hall on April 23 this year. He pleaded not guilty to the attack which allegedly left a man with a cut on the back of his head. The protestors were said to have been handing out leaflets protesting against the BNP earlier that day.

Tierney, wearing a black suit, wore his long brown hair in a ponytail and his six-inch beard in a plait as he stood in the dock at Liverpool magistrates' court yesterday. He pleaded not guilty to one charge of committing assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

Demonstrators protesting against his party gathered outside the court building in Dale Street before the hearing. Several police officers stood outside the court.

Tierney, of High Street, Hale Village, opted to have the matter dealt with at the crown court.The case will be committed to the crown court on October 29.

Liverpool Daily Post

Demonstrate against the racist and violent BNP in Liverpool on September 3rd

Click on image for full-size

Merseyside BNP member, Peter Tierney, is appearing in court again on September 3rd. He faces charges of assault, following an attack on an anti-fascist protester in April.

Let’s show the BNP that we won’t tolerate their racism and violence in Liverpool or anywhere else. Demonstrate against the racists on September 3rd.

STAND UP TO RACISM AND FASCISM!
JOIN US ON SEPTEMBER 3rd

Peter Tierney arraigned for assaulting anti-fascist

As Peter Tierney of Liverpool BNP was arraigned for smashing an anti-fascists head in with a camera tripod, protesters organised by the magistrates court in opposition to fascist violence. But much more can be done.

Today, BNP "super-activist" Peter Tierney was arraigned at the Liverpool Magistrates Court on assault charges. On St George's Day, he split open a man's head with a camera tripod during an attack perpetrated by him and Steve Greenhalgh on anti-fascists who had managed to organise opposition to the party's city-centre leafleting on a moment's notice. Despite accusing another anti-fascist of attacking him, Tierney was eventually arrested and charged by Merseyside police.

In response, the BNP claimed that it was in fact they, "including women and elderly folk," who were "suddenly physically attacked" by "a mob of violent Tory and Labour-supported UAF thugs." These "thugs," of course, being local anti-fascists who were not "harassing" Tierney and his fellow fascists but leafleting against them and their lies.

In the run up to the court-date, the BNP mailing list urged armchair fascists to "email or phone the Crown Prosecution service," in an attempt to subvert the course of justice with a flood of crank calls. Merseyside BNP also called on "all democratic, peace loving Nationalists" to show "support" for Tierney by protesting outside the court.

Today, however, after Merseyside antifascists organised an opposition rally to "show the BNP that we won’t tolerate their racism and violence in Liverpool or anywhere else," the story was somewhat different. Around fifty anti-fascists turned up at the Magistrates Court to protest both the fascist gathering and Tierney's violence, but the BNP were nowhere to be seen.

On the other side of the road from the antifascist gathering, however, four known local fascists - believed to be of the British Freedom Fighters (BFF) rather than the BNP - gathered to jeer at the protesters and take pictures. In response, many in the crowd produced their phones to photograph the snoops whilst a chant of "I'm on Redwatch and I don't care" started up. Eventually, the four slipped away to massive jeering, though not before skulking under the nearby motorway bridge to take a few more photographs.

Inside the court, meanwhile, Tierney was decidedly the worse for wear, looking as though he was "off his face on some or other substance" and being unable to remember his own address. His bail conditions, namely a ban from Liverpool city centre, were reimposed, and he will stand trial on September 3rd. It is vital that anti-fascists come out to demonstrate their opposition to Tierney's violent thuggery once again.

However, although today's protest served its stated purpose well, I can't help thinking that it could have been better done. Although local Liverpool anti-fascists were the first to call a demonstration, it was Unite Against Fascism (UAF) who quickly dominated the event, with UAF and trade union "leaders" there as speakers. One major problem I have with the UAF and similar organisations is that theirs is an opposition to the extreme right centred on hierarchy and authority, with a lot of neglect as regards grassroots organisation.

In Liverpool we do not simply need a band of people who will come out to hold banners at protests in "safe" areas pre-arranged with the police. What we need is solid, grassroots organisation of activists who will not just come out to shout "scum" at fascists but also mobilise their community, engage with ordinary people, and combat the ideology as much as the physical presence of fascism. We need to be there in great numbers when fascists come out, and to present genuine opposition - not to simply negotiate with police to sell the Socialist Worker in an area of their choosing. Most importantly, we need a movement that is tied into class-struggle, not one that tries to turn people off the BNP by directing them towards a government enacting their worst policies.

Successful anti-fascist movements recognise that real power lies with the people, not with "leaders" and "spokespersons." Moreover, they organise with the aim of taking back the streets from fascists wherever and whenever they may be, and they realise that asking police permission to occupy a small corner for a short time does not even come close to this goal. Tierney and his fellow thugs must be opposed, not by bureaucrats with a permit but by ordinary people with cries of "¡No Parasan!"

Truth, Reason and Liberty