Aspirations of a unified pan-European Defence League collapsed and died on Saturday in the Danish city of Aarhus, as a rather meager selection of euro-nationalists were sent running by anti-fascist rioters. This was the English Defence League’s second attempt at a European counter-jihad shindig. The first one ended with them getting spanked by Ajax fans and local antifa in Amsterdam, and this meeting went pretty much the same way.
Despite the organizers’ hopes that thousands of participants would show up at the Defence League rally (dubbed the “Counter Jihad Meeting”) on Saturday, even optimistic numbers put the crowd at around 200. Meanwhile, nearby, up to 4,000 anti-fascists held a rally condemning the meeting and vowing to disrupt it at all costs.
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What kept the nationalists away? Well, there were rumors going around that the head of the Danish chapter had tried to enlist local nazis, and since the Defence Leaguers are not big on nazi comparisons (they drape themselves in Israeli flags every chance they get), that was a sizable wrench in the works. Subsequently quite a few international speakers cancelled. Even early on, signs indicated that this would be a pretty lame hate party.
In a last ditch effort to amass a decent turnout, the Danish Defence League announced that Freja Lindgren would be spearheading the rally. Here is a picture from her Facebook profile:
OK, so Danish fascist babes might not be quite as alluring as British fascist babes, but Imma declare a jihad on any pure-blooded male who can look at this without getting sweaty in his pants.
Here is a less flattering photo of Freja taken during her opening speech:
Photo: Magnus Holm/Politiken
Depressingly, based on the evidence of her patter, racists sound the same wherever they are in the world. (I’d hoped at least for a little regional variation, but there was absolutely no sign that free thought had played a part at any point in the writing of this speech.) Freja moaned a lot about benefits and “Islaminism,” and cast the Defence Leaguers in the role of “freedom fighters” and “patriots,” without ever coming close to defining what that freedom might be or entail. If you have a hankering to hear the speech in its entirety, go here.
Photo: Anthon Unger/Ekstra Bladet
While the Defence League meeting was unfolding, left-wing and immigrant rioters attempted to cross police barriers to square off with the right-wingers. This prompted the police to prematurely shut down the rally and escort the Defence Leaguers to safety.
Photo: Claus Bonnerup/Ekstra Bladet
photo: Claus Bonnerup/Ekstra Bladet
They mainly ended up fighting it out with the cops until the League received a police escort out of the city. Here’s a video shot from inside their bus. The language is mainly Danish, some English, and a little German. Watch till at least 2:36.
Humiliated and dejected, the foreign Defence Leagues made their ways home, but for the EDL and its leader, Tommy Robinson, the humiliation didn’t end there. The next day Robinson was booked for an appearance on the Sunday morning BBC debate show The Big Questions. Sporting a combover and suit jacket, Tommy looked well out of his comfort zone and frequently stuttered. Highlights included his admitting to assaulting one of his own members, frequently confusing extremist Islamists with Muslims in general, and misquoting EDL “legend” Winston Churchill. Watch the depressing hilarity in full here:
