The Soldiers of Odin in Canada: The failure of a transnational ideology

Archambault, Emil; Veilleux-Lepage, Yannick

Abstract

This chapter examines the ideology and organization of the Soldiers of Odin in Canada, as well as the causes of the separation of the Canadian Soldiers of Odin from the Finnish leadership of the movement in April 2017, along with its aftermath. The chapter demonstrates the existence of a major tension within the group between Canadian ethnonationalism and an ideology of transnational, civilizational struggle, which manifests itself in the choice of tactics and the group’s rhetoric. This ideological division and the subsequent separation between the Canadian and Finnish groups demonstrate the incapacity of the Soldiers of Odin to mobilize on the basis of a transnational connection, rather than indicating a rejection of vigilantism as a method. The final section of the chapter surveys the activities of Soldiers of Odin members after the Canada-Finland separation, and suggests that several members transferred to other far-right groups with more local preoccupations.

Citation

Archambault, E., & Veilleux-Lepage, Y. (2019). The Soldiers of Odin in Canada: The failure of a transnational ideology. In T. Bjørgo, & M. Mareš (Eds.), Vigilantism against Migrants and Minorities (272-285). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429485619

• Online Publication Date: Nov 6, 2019
• Publication Date: 2019
• Deposit Date: Nov 26, 2021
• Publicly Available Date: Nov 26, 2021
• Publisher: Routledge
• Pages: 272-285
• Series Title: Routledge Studies in Fascism and the Far Right
• Edition: 1st ed.
• Book Title: Vigilantism against Migrants and Minorities
• Chapter Number: 17
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429485619
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1646582