The English Defence League is fringe English group that opposes Islamic extremism and Muslim immigrants, claiming they are a threat to the UK’s society.

UK police blamed supporters of the far-right English Defence League (EDL) for violent protests in a British town where a mass stabbing had left three children dead.

AFP takes a look at the Islamophobic organisation following Tuesday’s disturbances in Southport, northwest England, that injured 39 police officers.

What is the EDL?

The fringe group demonstrates against what it sees as the perceived threat from Islamic extremism, but also targets Muslims and migrants more widely.

The group often holds counter-demonstrations to protests organised by left-wing activists and has frequently clashed with anti-fascist protesters.

When was it formed?

The EDL was founded 15 years ago in the London suburban town of Luton. Its membership is overwhelmingly white and its supporters have been linked to football hooliganism.

Former activist Paul Ray was cited by Norwegian extremist Anders Behring Breivik as his “mentor”. Breivik massacred 77 people in Norway in 2011.

The EDL became most prominent between 2009 and 2013 when it was led by far-right co-founder Tommy Robinson.

Who is Tommy Robinson?

Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley Lennon, has a string of criminal convictions on charges including assault, fraud and drugs possession.

He quit as EDL leader in October 2013, claiming he could no longer keep the group’s “extremist elements” at bay. While the EDL has since declined Robinson, 41, has maintained a high profile.

He was sentenced to 13 months in jail in 2018 for contempt of court in a case that saw ex-US president Donald Trump’s former top adviser Steve Bannon take up Robinson’s cause.

Robinson left Britain this week — ahead of a legal case against him — after organising a far-right protest in London at the weekend in which nine people were arrested.

EDL activities

Despite EDL’s decline, it has shown a capacity to remobilise.

In March, seven men were jailed following violence outside a hotel housing asylum seekers in Knowsley, northwest England, after a protest believed to have been organised by the EDL.

Former prime minister Rishi Sunak accused the EDL “and associated groups” of being behind clashes with police in November on the sidelines of protests over Israel’s war in Gaza.

What happened in Southport?

Demonstrators set cars on fire, threw bricks at a mosque, damaged a local shop and set rubbish bins alight following a vigil for three girls killed at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class on Monday.

Police commissioner, Emily Spurrell, told ITV television that there was a “strong feeling” that EDL members went to the town to “whip up hatred”.

A 17-year-old has been arrested over Monday’s stabbing that also left five children and two adults critically injured. Police have not released the suspect’s identity.

The Muslim Council of Britain said an Islamophobic backlash began with a false rumour about the attacker’s identity on the internet which was stoked by misinformation from a Russian news site, which wrongly associated the crime with Muslims.

(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – AFP)