BNP Cancels Liverpool Rally After Football Match Row

The British National Party (BNP) has cancelled an event due in Liverpool due to a clash with an Everton FC home game, which police said they were forced to postpone.

The Premier League match was due to take place at Goodison on Saturday, 14 March, but was switched to Sunday.

According to the BBC News On-line website, Merseyside Police feared it did not have enough officers to police the match and a city centre election leafleting event by the party on the same day.

No mention was made of the on-line petition to the Merseyside Police Chief currently running and due to be handed in to the police HQ on 27th february.

However the BNP told the BBC its event was being cancelled for the sake of fans, according to the website news item.

Deputy leader Simon Darby is quoted as saying:

"It's an unholy political row and football is going to be the loser here, so I don't see why Everton and Stoke fans should be inconvenienced.

"And if the police can cancel these fixtures as they seem to do at the drop of a hat, then they can rearrange it now."

Merseyside Police and Everton Football Club have yet to comment, but it will be interesting to see what is said and the fact that the BNP have pulled out using sport as an excuse rather than the public outrage their planned rally in Liverpool may course if it goes ahead.

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