European Defence League facts for kids

The European Defence League (EDL) is a group that started in the United Kingdom. It's like a bigger version of the English Defence League, which was founded by Tommy Robinson. The EDL speaks out against what it sees as sharia law and certain ideas about Islamism. Sharia law is a set of religious rules that some Muslims follow. The EDL was formed in October 2010. Their first public event was in Amsterdam, Netherlands, where they supported a Dutch politician named Geert Wilders, who also speaks against radical Islam.

Dutch Defence League

Dutch Defence League logo

The Dutch Defence League was a group in the Netherlands that was connected to the English Defence League and the European Defence League. Their spokesperson was Bert Jansen.

Connected to the EDL

The Dutch Defence League (DDL) worked with other groups like the European Freedom Initiative. They were also connected to English Defence League groups in other countries. Many people who followed the DDL supported The Freedom Party, led by Geert Wilders, but the DDL itself was not officially part of that political party. In February 2011, DDL members went to an English Defence League march in Luton, England. On June 13, 2011, the group announced that it was stopping its activities.

Public Events

On October 30, 2010, members of the Dutch Defence League gathered in Amsterdam. Some English Defence League members joined them. They were protesting for freedom of speech and supporting Geert Wilders. Wilders, a Dutch politician who is also against radical Islam, said he wasn't very happy about the protest. After the event, the city said there were no major problems.

Norwegian Defence League

Norwegian Defence League

Formation	2010
Location	Norway

The Norwegian Defence League (NDL) is a group in Norway that is against certain ideas about Islam. It is closely connected to the English Defence League (EDL). The NDL is part of the European Defence League. It was started around late 2010 or early 2011, inspired by the EDL, which began in 2009.

There were some disagreements about who should lead the NDL. Lena Andreassen led the group for about a month. Then, Steve Simmons, who was appointed by the EDL, removed her after a protest didn't go well on April 9, 2011. Since then, a group of administrators has led the NDL. Ronny Alte was one of the main figures. Alte said the group was not far-right or racist. He stated that the NDL wanted to bring together people of all backgrounds to protect democracy and freedom of speech, which he felt was threatened by "the ideology Islam." He also said the group was not against all Muslims, but was "Islam-critical." Alte later left the NDL on April 19, 2012, because of a disagreement about the group's connection to Anders Behring Breivik. After Alte left, the NDL website was taken offline.

Connected to the EDL

The NDL used Facebook to organize its activities. By September 2011, the NDL had over 1,300 members in its private Facebook group and more than 30,000 likes on its public Facebook page. There were some rivalries between different Facebook groups, all trying to get support from the English Defence League. One of these groups was created by Ronny Alte. According to Searchlight magazine, the NDL's Facebook page was managed by Steve Simmons. He was chosen by EDL leader Tommy Robinson to be the European Liaison Officer.

The Role of Anders Behring Breivik

In December 2009, Anders Behring Breivik, who later committed the 2011 Norway attacks, suggested creating a group similar to the English Defence League in an online forum. It is not clear if Breivik actually helped start the NDL. Whether Breivik was a member of the Norwegian Defence League is also debated, as Breivik himself is said to deny it. However, three of the group's past leaders said he was a member.

After the 2011 Norway attacks on July 22, it was reported that Anders Behring Breivik had been connected to the NDL. Breivik was identified as a member of the NDL using the name "Sigurd Jorsalfar." The first idea for a Norwegian group like the EDL came from a forum post by Breivik on a Norwegian website on December 6, 2009. In this post, Breivik suggested starting a Norwegian version of the English Defence League. He wrote that he saw this as the only way to stop left-wing groups from bothering Norwegian cultural conservatives.

According to the newspaper Dagbladet, Breivik denies being a member of the NDL. Lena Andreassen said that Breivik was removed from the group when she became leader because he was too extreme. However, Ronny Alte and Håvar Krane said that Breivik left because he thought the group's methods were too mild. Breivik's connection to the NDL is seen as a big problem for the group when trying to get new members.

How the NDL Started

The NDL was inspired by the English Defence League and began around late 2010 or early 2011. In February 2011, Remi Huseby, who was 22, became its spokesperson during an EDL rally in Luton, England. At this time, the group had some internal disagreements. According to Dagbladet, different people, including some with extreme views and others who were more moderate, were trying to control the group. On February 28, the Norwegian Police Security Service (PST) announced it was watching the NDL, calling it an "extreme right group." The PST was concerned about groups that were against Islam. They thought that online activity, especially on social media, could lead to more negative feelings towards foreigners and cause more tension between extreme political groups. They also said that more activism could lead to more violence, especially at political gatherings. On March 1, Huseby left the group, saying it had been "taken over by Nazis."

Later that month, on March 19, Lena Andreassen became the leader after an internal struggle. She had said she wanted to remove neo-Nazis from the group. In April, she stated that such supporters had been "weeded out" after an internal "Nazi hunt." She said she worked with the Oslo police to get rid of "unwanted persons" and had close contacts with the PST. She also announced that the group wanted to create local groups in different Norwegian cities. By April 1, the group had over 300 supporters on its Facebook page.

Andreassen stated that the NDL was "not against ordinary Muslims, only the fundamentalist groups," and said the NDL had Muslim members. She also said the NDL was against radical Norwegian extreme right groups. Both Andreassen and former spokesperson Remi Huseby had joined the EDL for protests in England. A protest was planned for March 26, but permission from the police was never asked for, and Andreassen warned members not to take part.

On April 9, the NDL organized a protest against what it called a "Muslim occupation of Norway" at Akershus Fortress in Oslo. Before the protest, both the NDL and the police confirmed that the NDL was facing threats from both extreme left and extreme right groups. The protest did not attract many supporters, with only about a dozen people showing up. A representative from the EDL gave a speech, and Lena Andreassen also spoke. At the same time, an anti-racist counter-protest nearby gathered between 700 and 1,000 people. The police later said both protests were peaceful and had no clashes.

Four days after the protest, on April 13, the EDL ended its ties with the NDL's leadership at the time. Lena Andreassen and her leadership were then removed from the group. Andreassen later left the group completely. After the protest that didn't go well, Ronny Alte became the new leader of the NDL. He said in an interview in August that since the leadership struggle earlier that year, the group had been led by five administrators (including Alte), with support from the EDL leadership. Alte said that the group does not support violence and has become a calmer organization than it was before. He also said that the NDL supports the nation of Israel.

Activities

The Norwegian Defence League, working with SIOE Norway, held its first successful public gathering in Stavanger on June 23, 2012. About 40 people participated, and the police said the protest was "peaceful." Some people protesting against the NDL were fined for not leaving the area. The NDL protested against the "Islamisation of Norway and Europe." They also protested the Norwegian parliament's recent decision to change the constitution to no longer have Christianity as the state religion and to treat all religions equally. A counter-protest was organized, and police kept the groups separated.

Scottish Defence League

The Scottish Defence League (SDL) was founded by Ryan Boag Jr and is active in Scotland. However, some activists in Scotland mainly identify with the EDL. Like the EDL, the group protested against the murder of Lee Rigby in 2013. They claimed to have 4,000 members around May 2013. The Aberdeen City Council did not allow the SDL to march on June 29, 2013. This was because of other marches happening on Armed Forces Day and the SDL's plans to pass a local mosque. The SDL held a protest in Pollokshields on July 27, which was the birthday of Kriss Donald, a white victim of Scotland's first race-related murder in 2004.

Hogesa

Hogesa or Hooligans against Salafists (German: Hooligans gegen Salafisten) is a group in Germany. It is mainly made up of right-wing football hooligan groups from all over the country. The group says it is against the rise of Salafism in Germany. Salafism is a very strict form of Islam.

Their protests have attracted between 3,000 and 5,000 people. Hogesa is connected to the European Defence League, which is also connected to the English Defence League. Some media have described the group as being against Islam. Most of the group's organizing happens online.

Joint Events

Several groups that are part of the European Defence League were started at an English Defence League protest in Luton in February 2011.

On March 31, 2012, the European Defence League held their first big event in Aarhus, Denmark. Tommy Robinson had hoped for 700 people to attend, but only about 160 showed up, with just 15 activists from England. Local police arrested 80 people at the event. The protest also faced a counter-protest from left-wing groups.

See also

• Counterjihad
• Criticism of Islam
• Criticism of Islamism
• Islam in Norway
• Hogesa