Who's who in the extremist world of 'white supremacy'

Published on Thursday 4 August 2011 15:43

Our reporter takes a look at the key players in the world of 'white supremacy'...

English Defence League

Formed from the United People's of Luton after a 2009 protest by Muslim extremists, the EDL opposes what it perceives as a spread of Islamic extremism in England. The exact number of members is unclear however in 2009 the EDL claimed to have "thousands". Most recently, EDL's leader Stephen Lennon, above right, denied any connection to Anders Breivik, responsible for the recent Norway massacre.

Knights Templar

The Knights Templar were founded in 1119 and protected Christian pilgrims journeying to the Holy Land. Nowadays the order is a potent symbol for far right extremists. The Templar were instantly recognisable by the blood red cross that adorned their white tunics. Breivik adopted this symbol for the front of his manifesto 2083: A European Declaration of Independence. Scotland Yard's domestic extremism unit is attempting to track down the anonymous members of the Knights Templar.

British National Party

The BNP is a far-right political party led by MEP Nick Griffin, right, and has a membership of 14,032. The party was formed as the New National Front, a splinter group to the National Front, in 1982. Two years later it was renamed the British National Party. Until 2010 the party restricted membership to "indigenous Brits". In 2007 the BNP was infiltrated by an undercover journalist who found that party members were directed to avoid using "any racist or anti-Semitic language in public". In 2003 the European Parliament described the party as "openly Nazi" and they are condemned by all three main political parties in the UK.

National Front

The National Front is a white-only political party led by Ian Edward. Its main political activity was during the 1970s and 1980s. Popularity peaked in the 1979 General Election when it received 191,719 votes. National Front marches often ended in violent clashes with political opponents, and an Anti-Nazi league was set up by left-wing groups in protest to the party. The National Front is often accused of Holocaust denial.