Soldiers of Odin
As Soldiers of Odin ( "soldiers of Odin ", abbreviated SOO) to denote extreme right-wing groups as alleged " vigilantes " against asylum seekers , refugees occur and immigrants. They reject migration and Islam . They were first created in Finland from October 2015 . Groups of the same name have since emerged in Norway , Sweden , Estonia , Belgium , France , Germany , the Czech Republic , Malta ,Northern Ireland , Australia , New Zealand , Canada and the USA . They are usually as migration hostile vigilante classified, the vigilante practice and promote.
Finland
The neo-Nazi Mika Ranta, who has multiple criminal records and has close contacts with the Nordic resistance movement , founded an SOO group in October 2015 in the Finnish border town of Kemi . During the refugee crisis in Europe from 2015 , many asylum seekers came to Kemi via the neighboring Finnish town of Tornio . The SOO called itself "a patriotic organization fighting for a white Finland" and stated that the street patrols were intended to deter "Islamist invaders" who "create insecurity and increase crime". She claimed to support the allegedly overwhelmed police with street patrols against attacks by asylum seekers, especially on white Finnish women. Further SOO groups quickly emerged in Finland, which grew to several hundred members. They then formed branches in other Scandinavian countries .
Norway
On February 14, 2016, a 14-person SOO street patrol appeared for the first time in Tønsberg , Norway. A spokesman said they just wanted to be safe in the city in the face of immigration that got “out of control”. You don't care about religion or skin color. Illegal immigrants committed crimes, sold drugs and molested Norwegian women. This was contradicted by local politics and citizens of the city, who rejected the supposed protection offered by the SOO. The local newspaper revealed that well-known right-wing extremists, including those with a criminal record, belonged to the SOO. Police then increased their presence to prevent violent conflicts with the SOO and stressed that they were solely responsible for enforcing law and order.
Germany
Since 2018, the SOO has also formed branches in Germany, especially in the federal states of Saxony-Anhalt and Bavaria . They appeared there mostly dressed in black with a Viking skull as the group logo on their jackets and offered patrol services as "neighborhood help". The German SOO later united with the right-wing radical group "Wodans Erben Germanien", which also founded such vigilante groups. The environment also includes the “Vikings Security Germania”, which is organized in chapters like rocker clubs. The Protection of the Constitution of Bavaria has been monitoring these groups since 2018 and attested them xenophobia , racism , hatred of foreigners and refugees. They rejected the state's monopoly on force.
Some members of the alleged terrorist cell group S. (founded in September 2019) belonged to "Wodans Erben Germanien" or to "Vikings Security Germania". They were arrested in February 2020 on acute suspicion of having planned and supported terrorist attacks by their group against Muslims and politicians.
United States
In February 2016, the Soldiers of Odin USA branch was formed in Denver ( Colorado ). According to the Anti Defamation League , he found thousands of supporters in the USA in just a few weeks, especially in the camp of right-wing extremist White Supremacy and nationalism , aided by a polarizing presidential election campaign. The great response was accompanied by the rejection of all Muslim immigration in many municipalities in the USA, although the USA only accepted very small proportions of war refugees from Syria and Afghanistan . March 2016 was in Flathead County ( Montana ) an offshoot of the SOO, the refugees refused preventively, even though the government had not even considered to distribute them there. From January 2016, many SOO offshoots in the USA emerged independently of one another from Facebook initiatives and websites of right-wing extremists, such as Rick Wright in Pennsylvania , Brodie Fontaine in Mississippi , who also linked the Turner Diaries , and Adam Vordemark in Nebraska . Fontaine and Vordemark united their groups to form the Soldiers of Odin USA and got official confirmation from SOO Finland for the establishment. A merger with the group in Pennsylvania failed. In mid-March, Wright announced that he was closing his website because his group no longer supported the SOO, but had formed a secret society. Fontaine and Vordemark then allied with Kyle Costella in Vermont , Joshua Lee Guillim in Alabama , Chevy Sevier in Texas , Kelly Kirby in Missouri and others. Your Facebook group reached 4,000 members and supporters by April 2016. The group said it was in opposition to the "hordes of refugees that have invaded Europe and will soon be coming to America bringing with them massive waves of rape and crime". According to their own statements, the organizers created offshoots in 42 US states by the end of March 2016 and recruited leaders for them. Some branches have more than 75 members, others only a few. The organization is similar to that of a motorcycle club, as with the Finnish SOO. In their self-portrayal, the US offshoots describe themselves as both vigilantes and law-abiding citizens. They declare that it is time "for us to take back our roads, states and our lands". You are the "eyes and ears" of the police, wherever they cannot always be. Street patrols are "watch-and-report" operations. Individual SOO offshoots emphasize that their members travel at their own risk and are aware of the risks associated with group activities. They do not stand in the way of the police, but at the same time urge their members to do everything possible to protect their relatives. You never kill unless you are faced with deadly intentions and forces. One offshoot said they were not a nice, polite group that would only report outrageous things to the police. This is tied to the limits of law; "We are not". Everyone will be "beaten to death" if they are found raping and terrorizing American women and citizens.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Lotte Latoire: Soldiers of Odin: "A Bunch of Losers". New Germany, February 18, 2020
- ↑ a b 'Patriot' group Soldiers of Odin debut in Norway. The Local, February 15, 2016
- ↑ The alleged right-wing terrorist cell called itself "The Hard Core". Zeit Online, February 16, 2020.
- ↑ Right-wing extremists were determined to "do their own thing". Welt online, February 15, 2020.
- ^ Konrad Litschko, Christina Schmidt, Sebastian Erb: Right-wing extremist terror cell: Greater Germans in custody. taz, February 16, 2020.
- ↑ Soldiers of Odin USA. Anti Defamation League, New York 2016 (PDF)