Sheep in wolf’s clothing?: The taming of the Soldiers of Odin in Norway

Abstract

Soldiers of Odin Norway have tried very hard to communicate that they were not vigilantes and not right-wing extremists. Although they obviously have displayed some traits of vigilantism and anti-Islam opinions, they were clearly less militant and right-wing extremist than their original role model, the Soldiers of Odin in Finland. This chapter will explore why the Norwegian chapter of the Soldiers of Odin (SOO) turned out as a rather moderate variety of the phenomenon but also why it – in its stated mission to provide public safety in the streets – attracted a particular type of participants: young men with a criminal past.