More bollox from INDYMEDIA

The four boneheads who took pictures of antifascists as police looked on



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 August 15th. 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!"
Phil
e-mail: mutantbumblebees@hotmail.com
Homepage: http://truth-reason-liberty.blogspot.com

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Comments
Hide the following 6 comments

pathetic
05.08.2009 13:34

So much for liverpool afa showing up haha
Liam Pinkham



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Good report
05.08.2009 14:20

Excellent well-written report Phil. I'm sure more militant antifascists will be encouraged by what you have to say about the UAF. It's good to know there is an alternative. Good luck to Liverpool antifascists.

As for Penis88, was he crying his little eyes out again like he was in Blackpool? That boy will get a big shock when he realises that not all antifascists welcome the presence of the cops.

""I'm on Redwatch and I don't care!"


LOL! Nice one!
Antifascist



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yawn
05.08.2009 14:46

Not all AntiFascists welcome the presence of cops? I was told directly If I went anywhere near the News From Knowhere Bookshop on Bold Street I would be dealt with, I went in there ON MY OWN and found a few hippies and some dykes, you've had my address for a fair bit and I'm generally not hard to find yet some how I keep on getting 'let off'?

I would say see you on the 15th but I dont know who wrote that report but the thick twat didnt have very good ears inside the courtroom because I've never heard of a court trial on a Saturday!
Liam Pinkham



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Shall I take my dog to defend me?
05.08.2009 14:49

"Do you think its wise for me to take my pit with me? I dont want to attract any attention to myself, yet at the same time I want to be able to defend myself when it inevitably kicks off."

""It" won't kick off, it's in the centre of Liverpool, there will be plenty of police"

These posts from the fascist internet Stormfront (as well as their pathetic turnout) show the real strength of Liverpool BNP. As for Penis88, the little shit slunk off back to his computer after 5 minutes apparently..

Auntie



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Penis88
05.08.2009 15:07




"Not all AntiFascists welcome the presence of cops?" Not all AntiFascists welcome the presence of cops? I was told directly If I went anywhere near the News From Knowhere Bookshop on Bold Street I would be dealt with, I went in there ON MY OWN and found a few hippies and some dykes, you've had my address for a fair bit and I'm generally not hard to find yet some how I keep on getting 'let off'?

I would say see you on the 15th but I dont know who wrote that report but the thick twat didnt have very good ears inside the courtroom because I've never heard of a court trial on a Saturday!

"Not all AntiFascists welcome the presence of cops?"

Unlike your wanker pals on Stormfront Penis:

"Do you think its wise for me to take my pit with me? I dont want to attract any attention to myself, yet at the same time I want to be able to defend myself when it inevitably kicks off."

""It" won't kick off, it's in the centre of Liverpool, there will be plenty of police and the reds know that they are on last chances with everyone that has supported the UAF."

You've been spending too much time on Fantasy Island Penis.

"you've had my address for a fair bit and I'm generally not hard to find yet some how I keep on getting 'let off'?"

Perhaps we just think you're a silly little boy in a silly little gang, who's hardly worth going out of the way for, since you're just bound to come unstuck very soon anyway. And then you'll be crying again.

Shouldn't you be 'out on the streets' organizing 'ops' instead of trying to get attention on 'Red' sites because you haven't got any mates?

Toddle off saddo





I was told directly If I went anywhere near the News From Knowhere Bookshop on Bold Street I would be dealt with, I went in there ON MY OWN and found a few hippies and some dykes, you've had my address for a fair bit and I'm generally not hard to find yet some how I keep on getting 'let off'?


I would say see you on the 15th but I dont know who wrote that report but the thick twat didnt have very good ears inside the courtroom because I've never heard of a court trial on a Saturday!
Auntie



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Yes I did...
05.08.2009 15:19

I went there for Liverpool AFA since they openly claimed they where showing up, I actually gave them enough credit to think them mongs that turned up was not them..But on second thought it probably was.

I didn't see Scarface Alec Mcfadden there, maybe he was too busy spending that 15 quid the court ordered me to pay him as compensation.

I'm sure we'll catch up to discuss our differences soon enough anyway.

I'll be outside Wirral Probation Centre at 11:30 tomorrow reporting for my post sentence report because the so called Anarchists at News From Knowhere turned there back on there beliefs and where straight on the phone to the police after I stepped foot in there.

maybe I'll see you tomorrow unles you want to all 'let me off' again.
Liam Pinkham