English Defence League

English Defence League

Abbreviation	EDL
Formation	27 June 2009; 15 years ago (2009-06-27)
Type	Far-right[1] New social movement[2] Social movement organisation[2]
Purpose	Anti-Islamism[3] Islamophobia[4] English nationalism[5] Palingenetic ultranationalism[6] Populism[7]
Location	Originated in Luton, England
Area served	England Offshoot groups exist in Australia, Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway
Leader	Tim Ablitt[8]
Key people	Alan Lake[9][10] Tommy Robinson (2009–13) Kevin Carroll (2009–13) Paul Ray (2009)

The English Defence League (EDL) was a far-right, Islamophobic organisation active in England from 2009 until the mid-late 2010s. A social movement and pressure group that employed street demonstrations as its main tactic, the EDL presented itself as a single-issue movement opposed to Islamism and Islamic extremism, although its rhetoric and actions targeted Islam and Muslims more widely.

Established in London, the EDL coalesced around several football hooligan firms protesting the public presence of the small Salafi group Ahlus Sunnah Wal Jamaah in Luton, Bedfordshire. Tommy Robinson, a former member of the British National Party (BNP), soon became its de facto leader. The organisation grew swiftly, holding demonstrations across England and often clashing with anti-fascist protesters from Unite Against Fascism and other groups, who deemed it a racist organisation victimising British Muslims. The EDL also established a strong social media presence on Facebook and YouTube. Moving towards electoral politics, it established formal links with the far-right British Freedom Party, a breakaway from the BNP. The EDL's reputation was damaged in 2011 after supporters were convicted of plotting to bomb mosques and links were revealed with Norwegian far-right terrorist Anders Behring Breivik. In 2013 Robinson—supported by the Quilliam think tank—left the group. He said it had become too extreme, and established the short-lived rival Pegida UK. EDL membership declined significantly following Robinson's departure, various branches declared independence, and it became defunct several years later.

Ideologically on the extreme-right or far-right of British politics, the EDL was part of the international counter-jihad movement. Rejecting the idea that Muslims can truly be English, the EDL presented Islam as an intolerant, primitive threat seeking to take over Europe. Some political scientists and other commentators characterised this Islamophobic stance as culturally racist. Both online and at its events, EDL members incited violence against Muslims, with supporters carrying out violent acts both at demonstrations and independently. The EDL's broader ideology featured nationalism, nativism, and populism, blaming a perceived decline in English culture on high immigration rates and an uncaring political elite. It distinguished itself from Britain's traditional far-right by rejecting biological racism, antisemitism, and homophobia. Commentators differed on whether the EDL itself was ideologically fascist, although several of its leaders were previously involved in fascist organisations and some neo-Nazis and other fascists attended EDL events.

Largely headed by a centralised leadership team, in its heyday the EDL sub-divided into over 90 local and thematic divisions, each with considerable autonomy. Its support base consisted primarily of young, working-class white British men, some from established far-right and football hooligan subcultures. Polls indicated that most UK citizens opposed the EDL, and the organisation was repeatedly challenged by anti-fascist groups. Many local councils and police forces discouraged EDL marches, citing the high cost of policing them, the disruptive influence on community harmony, and the damage caused to counter-terrorism operations.

Following the decline of the EDL, the British far right became more decentralised, organising via the internet without formal organizations or leaders. Some self-identified EDL supporters subsequently became involved in events like the 2024 United Kingdom riots.^[11][12][13]