Extremist Hate Groups Expand Via Facebook Recruiting

The English Defense League, the far-right group Norway gunman Anders Behring Breivik mentioned as an inspiration had less than 50 members two years ago. Now the membership is 2,000 times that size, and Facebook is a contributor.

The English Defense League, the far-right group Norway gunman Anders Behring Breivik mentioned as an inspiration had less than 50 members two years ago. Now social networking sites like Facebook have helped the group grow to more han 10,000 members.

(The group’s Facebook page has more than 6,800 followers.)

The group is a street protest movement that opposes what it perceives as the spread of Islamic extremism in England, according to The Guardian.

But EDL’s leaders say they didn’t want more supporters and fans to mean the spread of more violence.

EDL leader Stephen Lennon told the Associated Press:

I knew that social networking sites were the way to go.

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