Thursday 7 March 2013

Managers and skilled workers make up bulk of far right supporters

Half the supporters of the far right English Defence League (EDL) are respectable managers and white collar workers, a report has revealed. 

The study found the image of young unemployed people alienated by tough economic times and turning to the anti-Muslim and anti-immigration group was a myth.

In fact half of sympathizers are in full time work, almost one in five is university educated and more than two thirds own their own home.

The report, by the think tank Chatham House, warns ministers and those combating extremism need to reassess who they target.

Its author, Dr Matthew Goodwin, also warns that the EDL is part of a new breed of far right extremism that is more “confrontational and unpredictable” and more likely to support violence on the streets.

He describes the new groups as “counter-Jihad” and said supporters believe violence between white Britons and Muslims was not only justified but imminent. 

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The Roots of Extremism: The English Defence League and the Counter-Jihad Challenge

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