The local branch of Soldiers of Odin on Finland's Swedish-speaking archipelago disavows any racist or Nazi connections and claims itself to be independent of both their Finnish and Swedish peers. The police said that they don't have anything against the controversial vigilantes, as long as everything remains legal.
The Soldiers of Odin have announced on Facebook that they will carry out night patrols on the Åland Islands.
“Well, we are here. SoO is hereby officially established on Åland. We want to support and help young people who have gone wrong or need help. In the future, we will carry out offensive patrols as we work to disrupt the drug trafficking and all other crime. We would like to receive tips on where and how we can deal with crime in the most efficient way,” SoO Åland wrote.
According to the vigilantes, they initiated the patrols because they believe that other organizations have failed, the newspaper Hufvudstadsbladet reported.
Åland Police Chief Maria Hoikkala is yet to take a stand on the emergence of vigilantism on the archipelago.
“I believe the more eyes and ears there are out there to tip off the police, the better,” Hoikkala told the local newspaper Ålandstidningen. At the same time, she remained firm in her belief that government work should be handed over to the authorities. “We forbid no one to go out to town, but we are following the situation,” she added.
Viking…
