Soldiers of Odin, a vigilante group formed in Finland in November, has become an international movement and now even has a chapter in Norway.
Soldier of Odin calls itself “a patriotic group that fights for a white Finland.” It emerged in the city of Kemi, where a group of men started patrolling the streets to scare away “Islamist intruders” around the time Syrian refugees started to arrive in the area.
The group claims to have 600 members in more than 25 chapters across nine European countries, as well as the United States.
The Norwegian chapter of Soldiers of Odin made its debut in the city of Tonsberg in southern Norway Saturday, when 14 men took the streets. Spokesman Ronny Alte told local newspaper VG that it has nothing to do with “religion and skin color,” and that they simply want “it to be safe in the city.” Alte added that the “out-of-control” immigration is what caused them to open a chapter.
“Don’t you think that immigration in Norway has gotten out of control?” Alte responded to a woman asking why they were patrolling the streets, according to VG. “Don’t you see that illegal immigrants are committing crimes, selling drugs and harass Norwegian women?”
Police in the city said while they can’t do anything to prevent the men from walking the streets if they obey the law, they are not happy with their presence.
“It’s the police’s responsibility to keep the streets in order, but if they walk around downtown and behave, they will of course be left alone,” Police Chief Frank Grahn told VG. “We don’t make a difference of the fact that some of the members have criminal records. If you’ve served your time, you’ve served your time.”
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.