English Defence League

English Defence League

Formation	27 June 2009
Type	Far right, Anti-Islamism
Key people	Tommy Robinson Trevor Kelway
Website	EnglishDefenceLeague.org

The English Defence League (EDL) is an English far-right single-issue organisation formed in 2009. Its stated aim is to oppose the spread of Islamism, Sharia law and Islamic extremism in England, although the EDL's political direction is being debated within the group.

The EDL uses street-based marches against "Muslim extremism" to attact attention to its objective. It presents itself as being multi-ethnic and multi-faith, and states that it opposes only "jihadists", not all Muslims. Nevertheless, EDL members were reported to have chanted "We hate Muslims" at pro-Palestinian demonstrators in London on 13 September 2009.

Estimates of the size of EDL membership vary. The EDL claims to have "thousands" of members in scores of branches, a claim contradicted by the organisation's spokesman Trevor Kelway, who said it has about 300 active supporters who attend demonstrations, and has strong support from Cardiff, Swansea, Luton and Portsmouth. An analyst believes the group has 300 to 500 active supporters that it can mobilise at any given time. The Scottish Defence League is a sister organisation formed to hold demonstrations in Glasgow, while the Welsh Defence League was formed to demonstrate in Swansea and Newport.

Formation

The EDL originated from a group named "United Peoples of Luton", formed in response to a March 2009 protest against Royal Anglian Regiment troops returning from the war in Afghanistan organised by the extremist Islamist Al-Muhajiroun and including members of Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamaah. The EDL evolved from the football casual subculture and is loosely organised around figures in hooligan firms. One of the organization’s principle strategists is Alan Lake, who has also advised the Sweden Democrats on tactics.

When the Luton counter-demonstration led to arrests, local football supporters, using social networking websites, colaborated with other football casual groups, including those associated with hooliganism and the far right. A major turning point was a June 2009 demonstration in Birmingham by Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamaah that featured a white boy from Birmingham being converted to Islam.

Alleged links to the BNP

According to Searchlight, as reported in The Times, the EDL website was developed by Chris Renton, a British National Party activist. EDL member Paul Ray has accused Renton and others of hijacking the group.. In an audio message, the BNP's Nick Griffin and Simon Darby claimed that the EDL was a "Zionist false flag operation" and a "neo-con operation." They also claimed that the creation of the EDL was an attempt to provoke a low-level civil war.

On 13 September 2009 the EDL attended an annual multi-faith, pro-Palestinian rally held in London organised by the Islamic Human Rights Commission. There were several brief confrontations as EDL activists chanted "We hate Muslims" and "Muslim bombers off our streets". There were no arrests.

On 10 October 2009 about 700 EDL members protested in Manchester, and about 1,400 UAF members counter-protested. The two sides were separated by a line of riot police, dogs and mounted police. Forty-eight people were arrested during the protests. On the same day the EDL held a press conference, during which they burned a Nazi flag and asserted that "There is no militant undertone. We will peacefully protest but we will not be scared into silence". In the press conference, the EDL wore black balaclavas and T-shirts with the name of different EDL divisions on the back. They justified wearing balaclavas by suggesting that the burqa was just as intimidating a garment. In response to the suggestion that EDL had been described as a drinking club with a website, the members laughed. In Swansea on 18 October 2009, Nazi salutes were made during the first demonstration by the Welsh Defence League.

On 31 October 2009, about 900 EDL supporters protested in Leeds city centre against Islamic extremism, and up to 1,500 UAF supporters held a counter-protest nearby. Eight people were arrested for public order offences after minor scuffles. West Yorkshire Police and Leeds City Council issued a joint statement in which they thanked the participants for their patience and consideration.

On 5 December 2009, about 500 EDL protesters (many of whom had been drinking) marched through Nottingham following an earlier march by members of the 2nd Battalion, The Mercian Regiment returning from Afghanistan. Clashes took place with Asian students carrying a Pakistan flag, and with members of the UAF. Several arrests were made and the security operation is estimated to have cost around one million pounds.

Views and reactions

The British press describes the EDL as far-right. This has been contested by Bill Baker, organiser of the EDL's cancelled Harrow Central Mosque protest, who said: "The protest was organised by people from all walks of life, all religions and faiths – even the local Sikhs and Hindus were concerned. It wasn't a far-right protest. Although they might have been utilising the situation they were nothing to do with us. We are opposed to extremism on both sides of the political agenda."

Searchlight says the EDL poses two risks. One is the formation of a street army prepared to travel around the country to fight and provide organisational support. The other is the group's tactics of carrying placards and chanting in places that are potential flashpoints. Searchlight added that not every leader of the EDL is a fascist or hardcore racist.

Trevor Kelway, a spokesman for the EDL, has denied that the group is racist. He said he had taken over as spokesman because the previous spokesman was Islamophobic. "We would march alongside Muslims and Jews who are against militant Islam," he said. "There were none on Saturday and an all-white group doesn't look good. But they can join the EDL as long as they accept an English way of life. It is the people who threaten with bombs and violence and threaten and bomb our troops – they don't belong here."

John Denham, the UK Communities Secretary, has condemned EDL, saying its tactics are similar to those of the British Union of Fascists in the 1930s, although he stressed that they did not present anything like the same "potency, organisation or threat". He was commenting after clashes between different groups at a new London mosque, during a march by the group Stop the Islamification of Europe. He singled out the EDL in particular: "If you look at the types of demonstrations they have organised, the language used and the targets chosen, it looks pretty clear that it's a tactic designed to provoke, to get a response and create violence".

See also

• Stop the Islamification of Europe
• Casuals United