TWELVE members of the British National Party were released on bail yesterday, after their arrest for allegedly distributing racist material in Liverpool city centre.
The leaflets have been condemned by anti-fascist campaigners, but local BNP activists say the promotional material is not racist.
The men were taken in by police after handing out the brochures at around 12.50pm on Saturday in Whitechapel.
The arrests came 24 hours after PC Steve Bettley was suspended by Merseyside Police for allegedly being a member of the BNP, after his name appeared on a leaked list of party membership.
Last night, Peter Molloy, BNP candidate for the Belle Vale ward, who was arrested on Saturday, claimed the arrests were “politically motivated” and denied their brochures were racist.
He said: “If it is accepted for non-white people to produce literature highlighting they are victims of racism, then surely it as to be accepted that white people can produce literature.”
The BNP claims the leaflet, entitled “Racism Cuts Both Ways – The Scandal of Our Age”, only highlights the issue of racism against white people.
Merseyside Police Assistant Chief Constable Colin Matthews said the arrests follow the distribution of leaflets in Liverpool city centre, which officers believed to contain racist content.
