Australian Defence League

Islamophobic white nationalist street gang

This section needs to be updated. The reason given is: This group seems to be defunct. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (February 2025)

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Australian Defence LeagueAbbreviation| ADL

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Successor| Patriots Defence League Australia
Formation| c. 2009
Founder| Ralph Cerminara
Founded at| Sydney
Dissolved| c. 2016
Type| Far-right
Purpose| Australian ultranationalism
Anti-Islam
Nativism
Right-wing populism
Location|

* Sydney, Australia

President

| Chris Rothwell

President, Western Sydney

| Nathan Abela
Part of a series on

Far-right politics
in Australia

Principles

* Anti-communism
* Anti-LGBTQ
* Christian Identity
* Ethnic nationalism
* Familialism
* Gun rights
* Islamophobia
* Loyalism
* Monarchism
* Nationalism
* Australian
* White
* Ultra
* Nativism
* Patriarchy
* Populism
* Racism
* Jewish
* Chinese
* Social conservatism
* Supremacism
* Christian
* White
* Ultraconservatism
* White backlash

History

* 2005 Cronulla riots
* COVID-19 protests
* Convoy to Canberra
* Australian frontier wars
* History wars
* Christchurch mosque shootings
* Genocide of Indigenous Australians
* Stolen Generations
* White Australia policy

Active organisations

* Australia First
* Australian League of Rights
* Australia One
* Australian Protectionists
* Australian Ustaše
* European Australian Movement
* Freedom Party of Victoria
* The Great Australian Party
* My Place Australia
* National Socialist Network
* One Nation
* People First
* Soldiers of Odin
* True Blue Crew
* Trumpet of Patriots
* United Australia

Defunct organisations

* Antipodean Resistance
* Australia First Movement
* Australian Defence League
* Australians Against Further Immigration
* Australian National Socialist
* Centre Party
* Confederate Action Party
* Conservative National Party
* Lads Society
* National Action
* National Socialist
* Nationalist Alternative
* New Guard
* Q Society of Australia
* Reclaim Australia
* Rise Up Australia
* United Patriots Front
* Yellow Vest Australia

People

* Anning
* Boikov
* Bosi
* Campbell (Eric)
* Campbell (Graeme)
* Christensen
* Christou
* Cottrell
* Erikson
* Evans
* Fernando
* de Groot
* Hanson
* Hersant
* Kent Hughes
* Kelly
* Rennick
* Saleam
* Sewell
* Searby
* Smit
* Töben
* van Tongeren
* Yemini

Related topics

* Conservatism in Australia
* Far-right terrorism in Australia
* Hansonism
* Neo-fascism
* Politics of Australia
* Trumpism

* Australia portal
* Politics portal

* v
* t
* e

Part of a series on

Islamophobia

Issues

* Airport profiling
* United States
* Conspiracy theories
* Counter-jihad
* Eurabia
* Great Replacement
* Halal-related
* Love jihad
* Hijabophobia
* Netherlands
* France
* Karnataka, India
* Immigration ban
* Media
* Orientalism
* Persecution
* minority groups
* Quran desecration
* Tropes
* 72 virgins

Status by country

* Australia
* Austria
* Belgium
* Bosnia–Herzegovina
* Canada
* China
* France
* Germany
* Iceland
* India
* Indonesia
* Shia
* Israel
* Italy
* Myanmar
* Netherlands
* Norway
* Poland
* Russia [ru]
* Sweden
* Switzerland
* United Kingdom
* Conservative Party
* United States
* Stereotypes

Violence

Attacks on mosques:

* Al-Hidaya
* Al-Nurayn
* Bærum
* Babri Masjid
* Banya Bashi
* Bayonne
* Beit Lahia
* Bloomington
* Christchurch
* Corsica
* Gondar
* Hyderabad
* Ibrahim
* Kattankudy
* Kosovo
* Manili
* Malegaon
* Malmö
* Palimbang
* Quebec City
* Sweden (2014)
* Zürich
* Planned attacks
* California (2001)
* Singapore

Genocide:

* Bosnian
* Ethnic cleansing
* Srebrenica
* Chechen and Ingush / Crimean Tatars
* Circassian
* Pacification of Algeria
* Palestinian genocide accusation (Gaza genocide)
* Rohingya

Massacres, torture, expulsion:

* Mecca (600s)
* Guangzhou (878–79)
* Jerusalem (1099)
* Ayyadieh (1191)
* Baghdad (1258)
* Granada (1482–92)
* Spain (1500–26)
* Moriscos (1609)
* İşkodra and Niş (1877–78)
* Harmanli (1878)
* Lasithi (1897)
* Albanians (1912–13)
* Šahovići (1924)
* Japan (1937–45)
* Kulen Vakuf (1941)
* Bukovica (1943)
* Sétif and Guelma (1945)
* Kafr Qasim (1956)
* Paris (1961)
* Shadian (1975)
* Beirut (1975)
* Karantina (1976)
* Sabra and Shatila (1982)
* Nellie (1983)
* Sohmor (1984)
* Big Excursion (1989)
* Northern Sri Lanka (1990)
* Bombay (1992–93)
* Cave of the Patriarchs (1994)
* Abu Ghraib (2000s)
* Walisongo (2000)
* Gujarat (2002)
* Norway (2011)
* Bossemptélé (2014)
* Assam (2014)
* Myanmar (2015)
* Sri Lanka (2018)
* Delhi (2020)
* Boyo (2021)

Other incidents:

* Almondbury bullying incident
* Bendigo mosque protests
* Bulli Bai case / Sulli Deals
* CAA, 2019
* Cronulla 2005
* Erklärung 2018
* Flying imams incident
* Jerry Klein
* Haridwar hate speeches
* Hindutva pop
* Holy Terror
* Innocence of Muslims
* Jyllands-Posten cartoons
* Kathua rape case
* Muslim Massacre (video game)
* Quran desecrations
* 2005
* 2010
* 2011
* 2019–23
* Serbia Strong
* Persecution of Uyghurs in China
* 2021 London, Ontario truck attack
* Xinjiang internment camps
* Swiss minaret ban
* Trojan Horse affair

Media

* Document.no
* FrontPage Magazine
* Gates of Vienna
* Innocence of Muslims
* Jihad Watch
* OpIndia
* Politically Incorrect
* Rebel News
* Stormfront
* The Brussels Journal
* WikiIslam

Opposition

* Amnesty International
* CAIR
* Forum Against Islamophobia and Racism
* Human Rights Watch
* Islamophobia Watch
* Muslim American Society
* Muslims Condemn
* Southern Poverty Law Center
* Tell MAMA

* v
* t
* e

The Australian Defence League (ADL) is a militant far-right, white nationalist protest group. The group is anti-Islam, and has been involved in making terrorist threats, abusing, doxxing and stalking Muslim Australians. The gang was founded in Sydney in 2009 as an offshoot of the English Defence League.

## History

[edit]

The ADL was founded in 2009 a registered not-for-profit organisation. They were founded as an offshoot of the English Defence League.[1] It was led by Ralph Cerminera until he stepped down from the position in 2014 after being found guilty of assault.[2] In March 2019, Cerminera was sentenced to 9 months in prison after assaulting his neighbour.[3] He was replaced as the group's leader by Chris Rothwell.[4]

## Activities

[edit]

### Stalking, verbal abuse and harassment

[edit]

In 2014, the group came to national attention after it was revealed that ADL members and followers had been stalking and photographing Muslim women on public transport, verbally abusing Muslims, displaying anti-Islamic posters outside mosques, and threatening to blow up an Islamic school.[5]

Later in 2014, in what police believe was retaliation for the bomb threat, the home of Nathan Abela, former President of the ADL, was fired upon.[5] Following pressure by people associated with the #illridewithyou campaign, Facebook shut down pages of ADL.[6]

On 22 December 2014, two members of the ADL were involved in a brawl outside Sydney's Lakemba mosque, arrested, and charged with affray and behaving in an offensive manner. They were subsequently convicted and jailed for five weeks.[7][8]

### Bendigo mosque protests

[edit]

Further information: Bendigo mosque protests

In 2014 and 2015, the organisation was involved in the Voices of Bendigo and Stop the Mosques Bendigo protests. The group was one of a number of far-right Islamophobic groups, including the Q Society, Reclaim Australia, True Blue Crew and the United Patriots Front, that opposed the construction of a $3 million mosque and Islamic community centre in Bendigo, Victoria.[9][10]

## See also

[edit]

* Antipodean Resistance Australian neo-Nazi group that emerged around the same time as Reclaim Australia.
* Australia First Party Australian far-right political party associated with Reclaim Australia.
* Far-right politics in Australia
* Far-right terrorism in Australia
* Islamophobia in Australia
* National Action (Australia) Australian neo-Nazi group.
* Romper Stomper (TV series) \- TV series featuring a group similar to Reclaim Australia
* Yellow Vest Australia
* Antisemitism in Australia

## References

[edit]

1. ^ White, Alex (7 October 2014). "The pro-white gangs spreading race hate across Australia". The Herald Sun. News International. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
2. ^ Thompson, Angus (5 February 2019). "Anti-Islamist filmed attacking 'Uber driver' neighbour". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
3. ^ Rawsthorne, Sally (14 March 2019). "Former leader of far-right movement jailed for foul-mouthed attack on neighbour". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
4. ^ Hall, Bianca (16 October 2015). "Street fights and 'internet vigilantes': Inside Australia's anti-Islam movement". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
5. ^ a b Rubinsztein-Dunlop, Sean (21 April 2014). "Tensions between Australian Defence League and Muslim community reach violent new heights". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 3 December 2017.
6. ^ Kimmorley, Sarah (18 December 2014). "Facebook Has Shut Down The Australian Defence League's Racist Page On Complaints From #illridewithyou Supporters". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 31 August 2021. Retrieved 3 December 2017.
7. ^ "Australian Defence League leader Ralph Cerminara refused bail over Lakemba brawl". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 23 December 2014. Retrieved 3 December 2017.
8. ^ Hall, Bianca (16 October 2015). "Street fights and 'internet vigilantes': Inside Australia's anti-Islam movement". Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
9. ^ "Social Cohesion In Bendigo" (PDF). Victorian Multicultural Commission. Victorian Government. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
10. ^ "Far-right group spreading anti-mosque message in Bendigo". theage.com. 23 June 2014. Retrieved 15 January 2016.

This table's factual accuracy is disputed. (talk) Please help to ensure that disputed statements are reliably sourced. (January 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

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