70% members of PVL, SoO have criminal records

About 70 per cent of the active members of SuomenVastarintaliike (Finnish Resistance Movement), the Finnish chapter of the neo-Nazi group Nordic Resistance Movement (PVL), and the Soldiers of Odin have criminal backgrounds including violent crimes, reports a study commissioned by the national broadcaster Yle.

The Yle study found that the two far-right anti-immigrant groups maintain close ties with the Soldiers of Odin acting as an informal support group for the well-established PVL, reported Yle, adding that Soldiers of Odin, however, are afraid of facing ban like the PVL.

According to the study report, activists of these groups were convicted of a significantly higher number of crimes compared with the population at large and the crimes tend to be violent and property crimes.

Although the PVL members claim to use violence in self-defence only, court records show a different scenario.

The police said eight ideologically motivated crimes were committed by PVL members in 2011-16. The Yle also has learned that PVL members have been suspected of committing at least three other such crimes in the past two years.

Both far-left and far-right groups have been implicated in violence connected with marches on Independence Day (6 December), said the Yle report.

The PVL will march as usual this Thursday, despite the pending ban on its activities, the Yle report said quoting its leader Antti Niemi.

Niemi, who has not been convicted of many violent crimes, told Yle that his group does not consider criminal records when recruiting members.

Soldiers of Odin founder Mika Ranta, too, claimed criminal background is generally not relevant for his group, although it could be considered on a case-by-case basis, reported Yle.

Ranta himself has an extensive rap sheet. He was convicted of eight violent crimes in 2002-15 along with other offences, said the Yle report.