Meet Denmark's Latest Batch of Extremist Groups

Photo via Wikimedia Commons

Last week the SFI, Denmark's National Research Center for Welfare, published a report naming 15 groups they consider extremist and anti-democratic. Of the 15 groups, six are right-wing, four are left-wing, and the final five are radical Islamist groups. Through analysis of the groups' recruitment methods and attitude towards violence, the report aims to give an indication of the state of affairs in the more extreme Danish communities. In the last couple of days, though, the report has been under heavy fire from experts, who have called it "almost useless."

Since this report apparently isn’t up to par, we decided to reach out to all these groups to learn more about what they do and how they feel about being extremist and anti-democratic in doing so. A bunch of the parties we contacted either declined to speak to us or forgot to reply, so we interviewed representatives of the final eight groups. Funnily enough, most of them are convinced they are the ones fighting extremism.

Danish National Socialist Movement

Extremist according to the report because: They made stickers with slogans like “race mixing is genocide” and “racist? yes." Their logo is pretty subtle too.

VICE: Who are the DNSB?
DNSB: We are the Danish National Socialistisk Bevægelse. As National Socialists, we are convinced that society is reaching the end of the line. It’s dissolving and people have noticed. The concept of National Socialism was counteracted in the 1930s. Partly by the Zionist organizations that prompted a war against the movement in Germany. We agree with Hitler’s ideas, but times have changed.

You don't say.
National Socialism only had about four to six years of peace before the war. In that period Germany really blossomed. Once democracies in Europe reach their end, we'll need a new system. We are working toward making that system National Socialism.

So how do you feel about the report?
You know, this SFI report defines a left wing and a right wing. The way we see it, that’s not how it works. There’s only for and against the political system. The people who have made these definitions have done so to weaken their opposition. There are no groups in Denmark with whom we have sought any sort of physical confrontation. We only want a confrontation with the way the power structure is in this country, and only in a political, peaceful manner. We are looking for a societal change so we can live in a sustainable system. That’s the only confrontation we’re looking for. In our opinion, it’s the people who don’t want a sustainable society who are the real extremists.

Antiracist Network

Extremist according to SFI because: Linked to a campaign where posters ousting known right-wingers were put up in Aarhus.

VICE: Who are the Antiracist Network?

Antiracist Network: Antiracist Network is an umbrella organization that wants to fight racism and get it out of Aarhus. We work with SF, SFU, SUF, Enhedslisten, and Socialdemokraterne in the fight against racism and provide an alternative when folks like Danish Defense League or other racist groups protest in Aarhus.

Doesn't sound too extreme to me. How come you ended up in the report?
I really can’t figure out why we're being labeled as extremists. We have never been violent so why are we lumped in with Nazis, violent right-wing groups, and the crazy people from Hizb ut-Tahrir? And at the same time, groups like White Pride, who have a history of violence, and the Danish Party, who are Holocaust deniers, are not on the list.

Are you sure you haven't been up to anything?
We have hardly been active the last year, because there haven't been any Nazis in Aarhus. I can’t fathom how we are supposedly undemocratic or extreme. It’s embarrassing that the Danish state has actually spent money on this report, because it’s really, really bad.

Stop the Islamization of Denmark [SIAD]

Extremist according to SFI because: Planned a protest in 2013 under the slogan “We are all Jews."

VICE: Who are SIAD?
SIAD: SIAD is an organization that started in 2005 with the purpose of stopping the increasing "Islamification" that we experience in society.

"Islamification," you say?
We don’t want a 1,400-year-old Stone Age religion, a stoning religion, to take over our society. In 2014, people are starting to notice an increase in crime, violence, and rapes carried out by Muslims. Now that IS has shown its face, normal people are starting to notice how people who follow the Qur'an 100 percent want an Islamic State and that these people live in Denmark too. It’s a lot easier to get our message across. We have 10,000 followers on Facebook.

Actually you have 6,000. That's still a lot, though.
Obviously the government doesn’t like that, and therefore it’s really easy to label us as extremists to stop people from supporting us.

So whom are you fighting?
We are fighting Islam. Islam is not moderate or democratic. If you study the Qur'an, you’ll learn that there’s only one form of Islam. We are against Islam. It’s not democratic, it’s degrading to women, and it will set us back 100 years. Everything is upside down. The people who are fighting extremists are now being called extremists themselves.

Danish Defense League

Extremist according to SFI because: They've been yelling and spitting at Muslim women. They allegedly ran amuck in Gullestrupparken in Jutland, smashing windows and threatening immigrants of Somali decent. They've also supposedly been behind a series of assaults on left-wing activists and immigrants.

VICE: Who are the Danish Defense League?
Danish Defense League: Danish Defense League is a branch of a movement that was started in England in response to returning soldiers being harassed by extreme Muslims. We are fighting for a democratic society where the government is more picky in terms of who they let in. Our goal is to stop the mass immigration from third-world countries and think more about the interest of the Danes instead of the Muslims. We want to see the authorities getting tougher on extreme groups of Muslims. Our government is on its knees for Islam and is looking out for their interests instead of the interests of the Danes.

What do you think of the report?
The people behind this report clearly haven’t read our manifesto. It's very unpleasant to be called extremists, but we're used to it. It’s a weird term to put on people who are in fact fighting against extremists.

Libertarian Socialists

Extremist according to SFI because: They hosted a public meeting about how civil disobedience could be used to lower public transportation fares. Extreme.

VICE: Who are the Libertarian Socialists?
Libertarian Socialists: We are a political organization working for a libertarian socialist society based on equality.

What do you guys believe in?
We have two core values, direct democracy and the decentralization of power. Ordinary citizens should be able to participate in the democratic decision making process. We think that’s more democratic and that there’s a lot of benefits to this system.

How about that report, then?
In the report, the activity that has got us labeled as extremists is a meeting we held.

Sounds extreme.
Well, we invited the public for a debate on how you could use civil disobedience to, for instance, lower the price of public transportation. That’s what makes us extreme. We have never participated in any illegal activities.

Overall, how do you feel about the report?
I read the report and there are a lot of mistakes in how they portray us. It seems to be a pretty bad report. We don’t see our opinions as extreme. Should everyone who isn’t at the centre of the political spectrum be called extremist? That’s pretty undemocratic.

Free Denmark—People's Movement Against Immigration

Extremist according to SFI because: Well, there are no actual examples. The logo they provided us was, however, extremely small.

VICE: Who are Free Denmark—People's Movement Against Immigration?
Free Denmark: We are a democratic movement. We don’t do activism, only politics. When we run for election, we do it on an equal list. Other, more undemocratic parties, like SF, run on political lists, where number one on the list get’s elected, but we’re more democratic. We couldn’t be more democratic.

What do you want for Denmark?
People need to see the economic failure it is to import these Mohammedans.

Mohammedans? 
It’s not just economic. Culturally, they bring crime to Denmark. This is a fact.

Are you sure it's a fact?
Instead of all this political correctness, we want an open debate about this problem.

What do you think of the report?
The people behind the report are incompetent fools. They don’t know anything about us. Or what they’re talking about in general. We have never been caught doing anything illegal. That we’re now being likened to DNSB is incomprehensible to us. They’re slandering us, but we’re used to that from the left-wing power elite. Nonetheless, they messed up again.

Call to Islam

Extremist according to SFI because: They arranged a protest where Osama Bin Laden was celebrated, chanting “death to the cartoonist." Threatening the Muslim cast of the satire TV show Det Slører Stadig. Having members arrested for links to terrorism.

VICE: Who are Call to Islam?
Call to Islam: We're a group who want to spread Islam to the Danish population. A kind of Islam based on the beliefs of our beloved prophet and his dearly beloved disciples.

What are you working toward?
We work to give the Danish population an alternative in the form of Sharia law, call them to Islam and make them realize that Allah is their creator. We want to give them Islam, a perfect system that answers all life's questions. In Denmark people often preach freedom of religion and freedom of speech, but when a Muslim or a group like ours talks about religion, then we're extremists. This is something our lord Allah has explained to us: that the non-Muslims will fight us until we give up on our religion and become a part of them. But they will never learn that our purpose isn't this life, but the next life. We have nothing to lose, but everything to win.

How do you feel about being labeled an extremist?
If being a practicing Muslim who's not willing to compromise on his religion and only seeks his maker's satisfaction is the same as being an extremist, then we will proudly say, "Yes, we are extremists, and we will remain being extremists as long as we live. Allah allows it."

Hizb ut-Tahrir 

Extremist according to SFI because: They support Muslims fighting in Syria. They have also been known to hand out flyers telling Muslims not to vote.

VICE: Who are Hizb ut-Tahrir?
Hizb ut Tahrir: Hizb ut-Tahrir is a political party whose ideology is Islam. We are a nonviolent party that works with ideas and thoughts to create awareness and influence public opinion in favor of restoring the Islamic caliphate in the Muslim world.

Are you trying to change the system here in Denmark?
We do not work to change the political system in the Western countries. Our work here is to preserve the Islamic identity among the Muslim community and to call non-Muslims to Islam.

How does it feel to be labeled an extremist?
Throughout history, anyone who bares thoughts that differ from that of their society and political system are labeled as extremists. We carry an Islamic ideology and therefore we are considered extremists according to the liberal politicians. Regarding us being labeled as extremists in the new report, we are not surprised. Muslims in the West are used to this type of rhetoric from politicians who use words like “extremists," “radicals,” or “fundamentalists” to label anyone who disagrees with their policies and ideology. They use these labels to avoid any productive intellectual debate with us by simply saying “they are extremists." However, their rhetoric and warmongering policies show that they are the real extremists.