Today, in Liverpool, reporting for Searchlight, I found myself in the forefront as anti-fascists fought off a violent mob of fascists, Ulster loyalists, and right-wing football hooligans.

We didn’t know what to expect. Passing through Liverpool city centre we enjoyed seeing an African guy singing to a large crowd, an Iranian playing his violin and a Japanese guitarist touring the world.

And Liverpool, with its long history of international trade, shipping and as a point of arrival into the country, especially in the last 200 years, is one of the UK cities where immigration has played a huge part in developing its unique language and local culture.

Indeed, many Chinese families can trace their routes via travel and trade back 400 years and, because of its links to the world, small communities of people from every continent settled in the city.

Liverpool has always had a tough reputation and a no-compromise approach to industrial relations, worker’s rights, and social justice.

One of its current superheroes is, of course, Egyptian born footballers Mo Salah. And Salah is a Muslim known for his charity work in his home town. The two local football giants, Liverpool and Everton, are truly international in support and in their squads. Check out the names, where they’re from.

So no doubt Everton fans will be disappointed to discover that around 30 of their so-called fans, mainly hooligans with loyalist and fascist associations, besmirched their club’s reputation with a disgusting display this afternoon at the Richmond Hotel, in Hatton Garden, just outside the city centre.

They mixed with known supporters of the banned Ulster Defence Association, former members of the terrorist National Action and ex-members of the British National Party.

Looking at this group of vile bigots, several things were clear.

Firstly, many of them had travelled from outside the area, from Manchester, Leeds, Hull and Stoke, specifically to have a fight. Most of them were men over 40. There were a few women and very few young people.

Kill them all

The group had no banner. Just one lady holding a homemade sign reading ‘Protect our Women and Kids’. But this was nothing to do with migration. Asking one man why he was there he said, “I just fucking hate them. Foreigners. Antifa. I’d kill them all.”

This is the politics of the gutter; fears and hatred weaponised by self-serving politicians like Nigel Farage and the more extreme Rupert Lowe.

Indeed, as anti-fascist speakers pointed out, it is rich men in yachts who are hurting everyday Brits. They’re the ones who benefited from austerity over the last 15 years, gained from dodgy PPE deals during Covid and profited from the pandemic.

Many were in their late teens and early twenties and when the fascists attacked they stood their ground and fought back.

They also invest heavily in weapons of war, selling them to Western governments and regional militias, dictatorships and terrorist front men. They create refugees by the tens of millions and then whip up hatred against those escaping the carnage they’ve created.

And fascist thugs believe all their lies. ‘Twas ever thus.

In recent weeks anti-fascists have been forced to rethink how they organise when they come out to oppose the fascists. Epping was a hard lesson.

Today in Liverpool we witnessed a much more militant, dare one say physical, approach to countering fascists.

The gang of far-right thugs, with their foul mouths, beer cans and fascist ideas, several times tried to attack anti-fascists.

But this much younger group of antifa, drawn from independent groups, Young Struggle, the the local punk, graffiti and indie music scenes, provided a fascinating contrast to the more static approach favoured by other groups.

Stood their ground

Many were in their late teens and early twenties, albeit ably backed up by members of Unison, the RMT union and Unite and, of course, Stand Up To Racism, and when the fascists attacked they stood their ground and fought back. It was impressive.

Clearly there’s no compromise and no space for fascists in Liverpool. Even with huge numbers of police present, the fascists came off distinctly worse during physical altercations that they started.

So today in Liverpool, anti-fascists who know a great deal more about history, and culture, and people stood up and stood out. They stood for community, genuine community, for friendship, for love.

Very woke, very boring, very old fashioned ideas to the fascist. But the only ideas that really make the world tick.

Yes, there’s much more work to be done. Thousands, millions, need to be engaged to join this fight. This is a fight for freedom, for liberty, for dignity, for the right to be different, to follow your chosen path in faith, to wear what you want and to be friends with whom you like.

It’s very basic – and Liverpool turned up for all these things today.