Anti-fascists and British National Party members arrested after Liverpool clash

An investigation is underway after anti-fascist campaigners and British National Party supporters clashed in Liverpool.

Ten people were arrested following a violent fracas in Church Street on Saturday morning. The far-right party was collecting signatures on the city’s busiest shopping street when trouble flared. At around 10.45am, anti-fascist demonstrators and the BNP came head-to-head in aggressive scenes.

Three women and three men, who were holding a counter-rally against the political party, were detained. They were held on suspicion of criminal damage, affray and assault and taken to police stations in Merseyside. The women – 23, 22 and 21, from Aigburth, Toxteth and the city centre – and the men – 26, 25 and 24, from Birkenhead, Kensington and the city centre – were later released on bail pending further inquiries.

Two days later, three BNP activists were apprehended on suspicion of criminal damage and affray. The suspects, identified by the far-right group itself, are Peter Tierney, 53, from Hale Village, his brother Andrew, 44, from Huyton, and a woman, 59, from Wirral, were all released on bail. A man in his 50s or 60s was arrested shortly after the incident but will face no further action.

Both parties gave different accounts of the disturbance.

Liverpool Echo

Fascists show their faces in Liverpool

The fascist BNP today continued their campaign of intimidation and racism on the streets of Liverpool. At around 2pm Andrew Tierney, again claiming to be a freelance journalist, set up his camera tripod directly in front of the Socialist Workers Party stall. This was a clear attempt to unsettle and intimidate people as they engaged in legitimate political activism. Tierney also filmed a local former Big Issue seller who now works advertising for local companies. This man, who has no association with the SWP, was going about his job and became frightened when the camera was put about a foot from his face.

After the police intervened the BNP made it clear that they were not going to disappear and the four or five of them began to attempt to distribute their leaflets to a less than susceptible public. Anti-Fascists soon rallied around and began to arrive at the street in numbers shouting “Nazi Scum, Off out Streets” and “Sing it loud, Sing it clear, BNP not welcome here.” The timely arrival of some Hope not Hate leaflets meant that the anti-fascists had some literature which they could give out to the public revealing the fascist and violent nature of the BNP. These leaflets were quickly snapped up by passers by and left the fascists looking dejected as they stooped to pick their own leaflets off the floor before people realised the reaction they were receiving. One confused lady, who thought we were the BNP, refused to accept a leaflet off me because she wasn’t a racist. If people refuse my literature because they hate the BNP it is fine with as me the message is already out there.

The growing group of anti-fascists soon began to get even louder in their shouts and the BNP group made their way up Bold street. A few of their supporters, mainly young skin head males, joined them and began to shout back at the group with phrases like “BNP all the Way” and “White Supremacy”. Seeing that they were by now outnumbered and were not getting their message across the BNP, who had filmed anti-fascists throughout the two hour standoff, made their way up Bold Street and home. Not the kind of thing we want to have to do the weekend before Christmas but wherever the Nazis show their faces we will oppose them, even at short notice.

Merseyside Coalition Against Racism and Fascism

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