According to a report in The Guardian newspaper, a spokeswoman for the English Defence League (EDL) has claimed majority support amongst the armed forces:
The group also appears to be drawing support from the armed forces. Its online armed forces division has 842 members and the EDL says many serving soldiers have attended its demonstrations. A spokeswoman for the EDL, whose husband is a serving soldier, said: "The soldiers are fighting Islamic extremism in Afghanistan and Iraq and the EDL are fighting it here … Not all the armed forces support the English Defence League but a majority do."
- Source: The Guardian 28 May 2010: English Defence League: Inside the violent world of Britain's new far right
- See also: The Yellow Ribbon Foundation: English Defence League (EDL) Rally - Aylesbury, Saturday 1st May 2010
BAFF defends the right of individual armed forces personnel to hold and express opinions, like any other citizens, to the fullest extent compatible with the law and the requirements of national security. But a glance at service-related unofficial discussion boards will show that any claim of majority support for EDL amongst British armed forces personnel is simply nonsense.
