Updated Wednesday 06 Mar 2024

CASE FILE: Yorkshire Patriots

Name Yorkshire Patriots
Tags Anti-Migrant and Anti-Muslim
Categories Street Network
Related People/Groups National Support Detachment
Years Active 2018 – Present
Active Areas England

 

The Yorkshire Patriots is a minor splinter group of the English Defence League (EDL). Led by David Smaller (AKA David Sunderland), the group took an organising role in the 2018 “Free Tommy” protests in Leeds that brought hundreds to the streets to support Stephen Yaxley-Lennon during his stint in jail that year.

The group has since failed to recapture such numbers, for example holding a small march in Dewsbury in 2019 that nonetheless saw seven arrests and cost the taxpayer £215,000 to police.

The Yorkshire Patriots re-emerged into prominence in 2023. Smaller and his allies organised and supported numerous anti-migrant protests in the North of England in conjunction with Alek Yerbury and his burgeoning National Support Detachment, with significant overlap between the two groups.

The largest was a 10 June demo that, after months of advertising, brought roughly 100 hardcore fascists and hooligans to the streets of Leeds. This included members of the PA splinter groups the Highland Division and the Independent Nationalist Network, alongside longer-standing nazi groups including the National Front, the British National Socialist Movement, Blood & Honour (B&H), Combat 18 and the “Infidels” network.
More recently, Smaller and other activists have been active in the ongoing protest camp in RAF Scampton, a former airbase earmarked to house asylum seekers in Lincolnshire.

 

RELATED FILES

DOWNLOAD STATE OF HATE 2024

“State of HATE 2024: Pessimism, Decline, and the Rising Radical Right” is available now. This guide offers the most comprehensive and insightful analysis of far-right extremism in Britain today. Secure your free copy now.

DOWNLOAD

SUPPORT OUR RESEARCH

We need your help to continue our vital research. Your support is not just a donation – it’s a stand against hate and division. It empowers our research and intelligence teams to effectively monitor far-right groups, ensuring we’re prepared for the challenges they bring.

CONTRIBUTE

Stay informed

Are you getting updates from HOPE not hate? Sign up today to stay in the loop and receive the latest news and investigations directly to your inbox.

SHARE THIS PAGE

I am looking for...

Search

Useful links

                   
Close Search X
Donate to HOPE not hate