Bermuda Industrial Union official Collin Simmons yesterday denied attacking self-employed legal researcher and fellow BIU member Mr. George Rushe at a union meeting last month.

Simmons, the BIU's treasurer, further denied behaving in a threatening manner and "using threatening behaviour whereby a breach of peace was likely to be occasioned''.

And he denied the unusual charge that he "did by violence interfere with the free exercise of the political liberty of George Rushe''.

The alleged offences occurred during a meeting in the BIU's headquarters on July 2.

Simmons pleaded to the charges in Magistrates' Court, having been summoned to appear. Several other union officials and its president Mr. Ottiwell Simmons accompanied him.

A trial date was set down for January 22 at 9 a.m.

Mr. Rushe told the court he was representing himself and had one other witness.

He was not physically injured during the alleged assault, in which he claims Simmons grabbed him by the arm and dragged him out of the meeting.

The meeting was held during the second day of an Island-wide strike called by the BIU to protest the sacking of 15 Bermuda Forwarders workers.

Mr. George Rushe.