It will not escape antifascist: Amsterdam West was 30 October turned into a safety zone, as the city had seen in years. Reason for this security was a demonstration, announced by an international alliance of Muslim haters. They wanted to protest in this way against the prosecution of Geert Wilders. The municipality of Amsterdam estimated this demonstration as a major public policy issue. Partly because interest consisted of far-right English hooligans and anti-right-wing Dutch hooligans to manifest itself around the demonstration. In this article we look at the Dutch organizers of the demonstration.
Through all the commotion about possible riots, by the massive media coverage of the demonstration, and especially the attention to the possible presence of English hooligans, the Dutch organizers were very far in the background. That was a shame, because if there had existed a better picture of, did that for all concerned - not least for the organizers themselves - can provide a more realistic picture of the strength of the club. Where it actually comes to the English Defence League (DDL)?
Do not scare, DDL actually consists of only two people, assisted by a handful of sympathizers. Founder, organizer, administrator and website administrator the web forum of the organization is the Dutchman Timo. What his name is, is unclear. He usually does not use a surname, sometimes he calls himself Timo Falcon, sometimes Timo Vermeulen. The press spokesman Bert Jansen, including Rotterdam. Timo Falcon has all organizational aspects of the DDL under his wing and soon the press to ask something moves Bert Jansen from the wings. Three others carried hand- and services span. Thus, the entire organization is described. Not very large, not very interesting. A more important question is how these two people and a handful of supporters could cause so much commotion in the run-up to the 30and oktober. That has to do with two things. First, the "reality" which finds the TTL supporters themselves and secondly the unclear position of other right-wing initiatives and the DDL to each other.
To begin the peculiar reality of the DDL supporters of interest. An explanation. TTL emerged in the summer of 2010. The inspiration for the creation of the DDL was the English Defence League (EDL), an organization with tooth and nail against the presence of Muslims and Islam in Britain. EDL does this mainly by organizing militant demonstrations, which often lead to violence. This initiative proved to capture the imagination of a number of Dutch PVV supporters who knew each other from internet, from discussion threads on major news sites. Someone also visited EDL demonstrations in England. They decided that such an organization is necessary in the Netherlands and founded by the DDL. Why they were inspired by taking the EDL is not clear. A good guess would be that it has to do with the controversial visit of Geert Wilders in London. In februari 2009 Wilders wanted to travel to England for his film 'Fitna' show at the House of Lords. However, this was opposed by the British government, him as an extremist and unwanted stranger stopped at the border and sent back. Was won after a procedure Wilders in March 2010 still travel to London for a handful of interested people to make his film show. In addition to the marginal interest for his film, was the support he got street striking.
Several hundred hooligans and skinheads of the EDL held a Support Geert Wilders' demonstration. With slogans and soccer songs they expressed a preference for Wilders. (1)
Whether there is a direct link, unclear, Just three months after this demonstration in London the Dutch DDL was founded. Given the Internet background of the promoters was a logical first step to start a website and a discussion forum. At the same time laid the initiators contact with the English EDL, but also with other internet initiatives of Muslim haters in Germany, France and Austria.
From that moment, a dynamic that ultimately led to a parallel Internet reality that has little to do with the real world. Such dynamics is typical of right-wing extremists groups who are particularly active on the Internet. It works like this.
The novice DDL'ers manifested in a number of discussion forums with like-minded political, but especially on their own forum. On such sites, unlike the term 'discussion' suggests, rarely substantive discussion. It is more likely to give equal to each other in increasing words in order to confirm the truth own and over again in that way. People who have other ideas are generally reviled and banned from such forums. This resulted in the DDL'ers soon a kind of digital tunnel vision in which priority was their own political equal. The DDL'ers proved in any case not be able to send in their ideas, even if those ideas were very far from reality. The unwillingness to hear alternative ideas in itself is typical of many radical groups. But when you combine that with political activity that takes place for the most part on the Internet, shows that to be able to lead to a parallel reality.
This effect was enhanced by the DDL because they had contacts with various other Internet initiatives within- and abroad who believed in similar realities. Because all of these groups and individuals, there was confirmed each other consistently with the DDL the idea that one has to deal with a (international) network with a huge following. While in fact, of all the organizations in the network, only the English EDL supporters of any size. All other organizations actually consist of only a small group of people, or sometimes even just one person. Together these clubs the "European Freedom Initiative (EFI).
After DDL themselves, directly to its creation, had registered with this EFI initiative, she received by return the request that they would organize a demonstration in the Netherlands on behalf of the EFI, in support of Wilders. When organizing the demonstration in Amsterdam showed the resulting web-reality, however, be detrimental. On the TTL forum discussed the possible emergence of this demonstration. While in many respects a similar demonstration in 2008 but in Amsterdam 40 interested pulled (2), Timo Falcon announced on the forum between the two- and five thousand people to expect and hope for even more interest. Others on the forum had themselves identically and declared that they would be disappointed if there is "only" a few hundred protesters would be.
That something this huge misconception is transferred to the municipality of Amsterdam is quite conceivable and will possibly have contributed to the massive police deployment.
But that is not the whole problem surrounding the demonstration explained. Because besides the complete lack of a realistic view of the supporters and mobilizing force, also played the ambiguous attitude to extreme right-wing organizations with. DDL admittedly takes away outspoken neo-Nazis, but that's a pretty superfluous statement. For neo-Nazis, the PVV and Wilders and everyone who supports this party merely 'Jews servants'. They will not quickly deal with the TTL or such groups. For other far-right groups DDL appears however very approachable. In that respect, the DDL looks like the EDL. Also at their UK soulmates Everyone is welcome, when the ideas of the organization but are supported. That leads to the EDL to the presence of all sorts of radical and sometimes violent right-wing extremists in the ranks. A similar arrangement applies the DDL. DDL aloud argues that it is not a far-right organization. (3) But at the same time, very few attempts have been made to keep away the known right-wing organizations and activists. To begin with, there is of course the contact with the EDL, seen her agenda, supporters and action methods simply as extreme right is to qualify.
EDL foreman, Stephen Yaxley-Lennon was (under his pseudonym "Tommy Robinson") the most prominent speaker demonstration. While Yaxley-Lennon except EDL leader also former member of the British National Party (BNP) and sentenced to a lengthy prison sentence for assault.
But also appear to be contacts with Dutch extreme right. In the run-up to the Amsterdam demonstration example volunteered some activists Outpost, who wanted to go walking. That was no problem for the DDL, as long as they would adhere only to the rules of the organization. Prominent Voorpost activists as Sjors Remmerswaal and John Middelman also called their network to participate in the demonstration.
Another right-wing extremist contacts in the DDL is Ben van der Kooi. Van der Kooi is a declared supporter of violent activism against Muslims and Islamic buildings. He was further prolonged in custody suspected of arson at a mosque, before he was acquitted before. On the extreme right-wing radio station Radio Rapaille was the day before the TTL demonstration rumor reported that Ben van der Kooi action leader of the DDL would be. Previously found that Van der Kooi had already put forward at an early stage with the DDL on planned
demonstration in Amsterdam. Eventually, Ben van der Kooi arrived with some friends on the demonstration itself. He was initially greeted warmly by the organizers, who know him well proved. When he then gave an interview to a television station was intervened by the security service, who offered him to leave. Apparently, the line of the DDL was that Dutch right-wing extremists of the caliber Van der Kooi albeit welcome to the demonstration, as long as they would not behave too profiled. Giving a television interview was certainly clearly a step too far. This is believed to be the line of the DDL relative to Nederlandse sketched extreme right interest: more than welcome, as long as they do not explicitly come into the picture and ask that way the DDL in a bad light. In Front Of foreign right-wing extremists, as Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, the bar is obviously a lot lower.
That this duplicitous arrangement did not work enlightening Clearly, because what was now expected to fully TTL supporters on the demonstration? Were the hundreds to thousands of Internet activists, who had the organizers themselves for eyes? Or the dozens who came on at a similar demonstration days? Would come down large numbers of English hooligans and right-wing extremists in the protest? And what would make Dutch far-right groups? Since there is on the one hand, by the lack of real look at their organization, no proper assessment was made of the supporters and on the other hand there was no clear policy regarding interested right extremists, DDL called off the problems on himself. Nobody knew where they would be more to this demonstration, organizers least of all.
Ultimately, the English Defence League to be not much more than the group that is active on the Internet. The demonstration appeared around thirty Dutch, 25 English, a handful of Germans, two Norwegians, an Austrian and a Frenchman, In total a small seventy protesters. No group to lie awake at, so.
Noten
(1) The bizarre nature of cooperation within the EDL was evident during this demonstration. Some EDL protesters spent the Hitler salute during the endorsement of Wilders, who is fiercely anti-Semitism and bright for Israel.
(2) In the Netherlands emerged from the circle of some Muslim-hating bloggers initiative Stop the Islamisation of Europe - Netherlands (SHOW-NL). This club thought through mobilizing large numbers of people on the Internet to get the leg. At a demonstration in Amsterdam beginning 2008 arrived yet 40 interested people off. A second attempt in The Hague brought even fewer people in the leg and was canceled on the spot. Shortly after SIO-EN stopped all its activities.
(3) This position has a lot to say. DDL is not exactly ideological bullying. Indeed, many political ideas can be found not returned to the organization, except simple statements like that Wilders is good and that Muslims and left his fault. At the forum is oddly even argued that TTL is not a political organization.
