Paddy Gibson reflects on white supremacy attack at Arncliffe home

Social justice activist Paddy Gibson is speaking out after he and his partner were victims of a terrifying ideologically-motivated attack by a neo-Nazi and white supremacy group leader.

Padraic Gibson had that hair-on-the-back-of-your-neck moment as soon as he looked through his front door peephole, its fisheye lens filled up with bald heads and burly frames.

Add the nationalist insignias bursting out of his visitors’ taut t-shirts, and Gibson knew what was waiting on the other side of the door for him.

“Are you Paddy? We need to talk to Paddy,’’ one of the neo-Nazis said in an intimidating tone.

The reason Mr Gibson was targeted with the impromptu visit was his activism in organising large Black Lives Matter and Aboriginal rights protests in Sydney.

What followed the knock was a horrifying 30-minute ordeal at his family home in Arncliffe, where his sense of safety and security was ripped apart.

Desmond Liddington, who holds white supremacy beliefs, pleaded guilty to affray and intimidation of activist Padraic Gibson at his Arncliffe home Picture: Ashleigh Tullis

One of the attackers was Desmond Liddington, 39, who started his own chapter of a right-wing neo-Nazi extremist group called Firm 22.

He pleaded guilty to intimidation and affray and was sentenced to two years and six months in prison with a non-parole period of 18 months.

Maxwell Ferrer was also charged with intimidation and affray following the attack, he pleaded guilty and was placed on a community corrections order for 12 months.

Police said Desmond Liddington was the leader and founder of white supremacy group, Firm 22. Picture: Supplied

A third man was also charged and remains before the courts.

The men rocked up at Mr Gibson’s home on December 4, 2021 and banged harshly and loudly on the door before demanding he come outside.

Mr Gibson and his partner immediately retreated to the back of the house, thankful their children were not home during the attempted invasion.

Paddy Gibson, an anti-racism activist, was the victim of an ideologically-motivated attack by neo-Nazi Desmond Liddington. Picture: Justin Lloyd

“Our house is being attacked, there are Nazis here,” he told the police on the phone.

“Then we started hearing broken glass and smashing sounds,” Mr Gibson recounted in an interview with NewsLocal.

“I thought they were trying to force entry into the house and smash their way in to hurt us.”

The couple desperately continued to call police while glass was shattered, the flimsy security grill was broken and furniture thrown against a window.

Desmond Liddington is the leader of the white supremacy group Firm 22. Social media images of Liddington show him with a group of mates wearing Firm 22 t-shirts.

But, it was an agonising 30-minute wait for officers to arrive, with a neighbour coming to the rescue after Mr Gibson called for help.

“We were very grateful for the response from our local community,” he said. “It was only because they came to our house that the men left.

“It was a terrifying experience to have in your own house. I thought we were going to be injured or worse.

Desmond Liddington was sentenced to two years and six months behind bars for charges of intimidation and affray. Picture: Supplied

“The house was being attacked. We were outnumbered.

“What is really disturbing is they would attack a family home where children could have been.

“It was our eldest son’s room where the window was smashed.”

Mr Gibson said he gave interviews to the media when he organised and advocated for Black Lives Matter and Aboriginal rights protests in June and July 2020, and received vile online death threats.

Paddy Gibson spoke at a Black Lives Matter press conference in Sydney in July 2020. Photo: NCA Newswire/ Gaye Gerard

But it was more than a year later when Liddington carried out the attack.

“For a long time, I’ve been involved in social justice movements that have challenged the far-right,” Mr Gibson said.

“I’ve been to protests and stood face-to-face with people from the far right to let them know we are opposed to their racism and violence.

“We aren’t afraid of these people.

“But this was a cowardly attack in numbers at a family home.”

After the ordeal, Mr Gibson installed CCTV, alarms, security bars; and became more protective of his children.

But he was unequivocal that the attack, neo-Nazis, or other haters, would not stop his commitment to social justice causes.

“It hasn’t stopped us from taking to the streets to say violence and racism against Aboriginal people needs to stop, to stand with our workmates and trade unions to say we need more rights, better pay and conditions,” Mr Gibson said.

“We won’t stop taking up those fights. Nothing they can do will stop us.”