Scottish Defence League

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The Scottish Defence League (SDL) is an offshoot of the English Defence League and was created in late 2009. The Times describe the group as a "far right organisation affiliated to the English Defence League (EDL)". The SDL themselves claim on their Facebook page that 'WE ARE NOT RASCISTS !!!!!'. They go on to write that they were created:

The image used for the main page of the SDL Facebook group

In solidarity with the English and Welsh Defence League to oppose the threat to our country by Islamic Extremists

This is a very real and happening threat to our whole country, we need to unite against the extremists. We are not racists or the B.N.P. This is a peaceful non violent group.

Forget football differences this is far more important.

Although the SDL claim not to be affiliated with the BNP, John Wilkinson the administrator of their facebook group is a BNP member and campaigner. The group carried out a demonstration in Glasgow on the 14-November-2008 and according to their Facebook group are planning a further protest in Edinburgh on 20-February-2010.

Demonstrations

Glasgow demonstration

The SDL held their first demonstration in Glasgow on 14-November-2009. The group claimed they were protesting against the "Islamification" of Scotland. According to a report in the Scotland on Sunday:

80 people briefly unfurled banners calling for the banning of the burqa, sang Rule Britannia and shouted "SDL" to shouts of "scum" and boos from shoppers.

The BBC reported:

Police said about 80 SDL protesters gathered in Cambridge Street, north of the city centre, and there were clashes. The SDL protesters, some with their faces partly covered with scarves, sang songs and chanted "SDL" as they held their demonstration.

The Sunday Mail described how:

The drunken mob left the Cambridge bar on Cambridge Street and moved to the city centre at noon where they were confronted by around 30 anti-fascist protesters shouting, "Nazi scum off our streets".

There were five arrests connected to the demonstration, four for alleged breach of the peace and a fifth for racially motivated breach of the peace. Assistant chief constable Fiona Taylor said the demonstration involving about 70 people against immigration and Islamic fundamentalism had passed off "without any major incident".

A counter demonstration staged by Scotland United took place on the same day, police estimated that 1,500 people attended the anti-fascism demonstrations with organisers putting the figure at 3,500. The Scotland United demonstration was described in The Sunday Times:

Meanwhile, members of Scotland United gathered at Glasgow Green and marched to George Square, where they held a counter-demonstration backed by trade unions, politicians and faith groups.

The demonstration included speeches by Nicola Sturgeon, Osama Saeed, Mohammed Sarwar, Aamer Anwar, Annabel Goldie, and Tommy Sheridan.

Edinburgh Demo Invite

Edinburgh Demonstration

Three days after the SDL's Glasgow demonstration plans were announced by the SDL to have a further gathering in Edinburgh. Details were published on the groups Facebook page in early December giving the date of the 20-February-2010 for the protest.

The Scottish Defence League protest in Edinburgh was scheduled to take place on the 20th February. Only 40 protesters attended the SDL protest with a counter demonstration attracting around 2,000 people. According to a report in The Scotsman:

The group unfurled banners with slogans such as "Say no to fundamentalist Muslims" and sporadically raised chants, including "We want our country back" and "Muslim bombers off our streets". Despite attempts to break through the police cordon, they were contained in the pub, until two double-decker buses took them out of the city centre at about 4pm. At the formal Scotland United rally, which included a march from Princes Street Gardens to the Meadows, speakers said the SDL had failed to gain support, but warned against complacency. Justice secretary Kenny MacAskill said: "Today is about making a stand against those who would seek to divide and saying to them that their views are not welcome." .

Three SDL protesters were arrested at the demonstration, 23-Year old Scott Buchan, from Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire, pled guilty to breach of the peace. Graeme Stevenson, 21 from Largs and David Parslow, 52 from Edinburgh both appeared in court the Monday after the demonstration, Stevenson was charged with "acting in a manner likely to incite violence and public disorder", and David Parslow admitted a breach of the peace charge for shouting and swearing outside the Edinburgh Central Mosque.

Lockerbie Demonstration

After failing to attract significant numbers in Edinburgh, the SDL made an announcement that their next demonstration would be a "vigil" in Lockerbie, the announcement read:

After the fiasco of the police abusing their powers and arresting and or/turning back innocent people trying to attend the Edinburgh demo, the Scottish Defence League will be holding a respectful vigil at Lockerbie on March 27th 2010. Details of coaches/transport from your regional organisers or via the Inner Circle. This is also a protest against the Traitor Kenny MacAskill who deny the SDL free speech and defended the release of the vermin responsible for the Lockerbie outrage. Kenny MacAskill told an emergency session of the Scottish parliament that it had been his “own decision” to free Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, adding that he stood by “the laws and values of Scotland”.

The BNP's Adam Lloyd is an SDL member

John Wilkinson Leafleting for the BNP

BNP/Military Connections

BNP Connections

One of the administrators of the SDL Facebook group is John Wilkinson who lists his political views on the site as BNP. Wilkinson can be seen on the site leafleting for the BNP in the 2009 European Elections. Wilkinson also appears on the leaked BNP members list which was posted on wikileaks.

Members of the SDL Facebook group include Adam Lloyd (Pictured Left) who is the BNP organiser for Bridgend in Wales.

The BNP have publicly denied any connection with the English Defence League and issued a press release distancing themselves from the EDL and the "confrontations they seek".

Another member of the group Iain Brooks from Glasgow is also listed on the leaked BNP members list which appeared on Wikileaks.

John Wilkinson in Military Uniform

Photograph from the SDL Facebook Homepage

Iain Brooks Serving in the Navy (Far Left)

SDL Member Iain Brooks

Military Connections

According to the Guardian the English Defence League was started by Tommy Robinson (a pseudonym), after a Muslim protest at the homecoming of the 2nd Battalion Royal Anglian Regiment in Luton in March 2009:

Only a handful of Muslim protesters disrupted the Anglians' homecoming parade, and they were drawn from an small extremist group that had already been ostracised by the mainstream Muslim community. However, it was enough for Robinson and others to set up a group called United People of Luton, and look across the country for support.

The Luton group linked up with Birmingham-based British Citizens Against Muslim Extremists to form the English Defence League

The SDL facebook group has a military photograph with the caption "Tartan Army on Tour", presumably taken in Afghanistan. One of the groups administrators John Wilkinson a BNP member and activist also appears on his facebook page in military gear and appears to be serving abroad in another photograph.

Another SDL member Iain Brooks from Glasgow who appears on the Wikileaks leaked BNP members list from Glasgow appears on Facebook serving in the Royal Navy. Brooks is listed on his Facebook home page as serving on HMS Lancaster between 1999-2003.

Web Presence

SDL Administrators

SDL Administrators March 2010

SDL on Facebook

The SDL has a group on Facebook used to recruit new members and organise demonstrations. Administrators for the group are Chris Anderson, Karen Chesser from Aberdeen and John Wilkinson from Dumfries. Chris Anderson made the Facebook group private on the 30-November-2009 after repeated attempts to sabotage the previously open group page.

The SDL Facebook group where 197 of the 644 members have their location displayed. Of these 197 members less than half are based in Scotland:

Location	Number of Members
Scotland	83
England	79
USA	10
Wales	9
Australia	5
Canada	2
Israel	1
Northern Ireland	1
Spain	1
Serbia	1
China	1

UK Casuals United website

Unlike the English Defence League, the SDL don't have a dedicated website. Their web presence consists of a Facebook group and a page on the UK Casuals United website. The "UK Casuals United" website hosts pages on the other "Defence Leagues" which are the English Defence League, Welsh Defence League and the Ulster Defence League. The groups website is registered in the U.S. at webs.com. The group describe themselves as:

an alliance of British Football Casuals of various different colours/races who have come together in order to create a massive, but peaceful protest group to force our Government to get their act in gear.

The tagline on the groups website reads, "Uniting the UK's football infidels", and they make claims to be opposing Islamic Extremism and stopping Muslims who "wish to impose Sharia law upon us by stealth".

The writing style used on the website is often incoherent, for example this passage comes from the section explaining who the group are:

We will exercise our right to peaceful protest however we see fit, and are growing all the time. Soon we will be big enough to influence our MP's and they will be unable to ignore us. We will support the English, Welsh, Scottish and Irish Defence Leagues, as well as March for England, with marches/demos but are A TOTALLY SEPERATE GROUP.

This incoherent style is repeated in an announcement about the groups Glasgow demonstration of the 14-November-2009, the group announced:

Large groups of SDL were detained at both Perth, Dundee AND Edinburg were detained and prevented from travelling to Glasgow, and main English lads were visisted by Strathclyde police and warned off from travelling to Scotland. In a free country our grandfathers fought off the Germans to defend.

See also

• English Defence League | Welsh Defence League | Ulster Defence League

People

Chris Anderson | Karen Chesser | John Wilkinson | Anthony Bamford | Johnny Brabender | Martin McIntyre | John Robertson

Contact

E-Mail: casualsunitedhq@hotmail.com