Do you believe in the Welsh Defence League?

Like all previous mobilisations in Wales, the recent protests by the English Defence League (EDL) in Cardiff and Swansea on 5th June were called under the name of the "Welsh Defence League" (WDL). Judging by the combined turnout at both demos and taking into consideration the large number of attendees from England, the WDL numbers less than 50 people.

There is little to suggest that the WDL is anything more than a handful of people who travel to EDL demonstrations, rather than an organisation in their own right. Previous demonstrations in Wales were derisory: a shambles in Swansea, a no-show in Newport and a wash out in Wrexham. A recent partial renaming as the "Cymru Defence League" is due to "C-C-CDL!" being more chant-friendly than "W-W-WDL!" and not any kind of half-hearted sop to the Welsh language.