English Shieldwall

{{Bronze}}
{{UKpolitics}}
{{cquote|''Are you now beginning to awaken from the brainwashed sheep-walk?''|||The English Shieldwall<ref name=discrim>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoAhuY1spvA Youtube: The English Shieldwall - Discrimination]</ref>}}
The '''English Shieldwall''' is a failed campaign group dedicated to fighting discrimination against [[English]] people, active mainly in 2010 and 2011. It is closely affiliated with the [[Anglo-Saxon Foundation]] forum.

==History==
The English Shieldwall was founded in 2010 by the political activist Lee "Ingy" Ingram and a [[Asatru|Woden-worshipper]] who calls himself [[Youngy]].<ref>[http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/File:Capture_02712aab51db9eabd47c6cbd747a4054a19a6519.png Anglo-Saxon Ing: 'The English Shieldwall' Protest group] (screencap)</ref> In its early days the group called itself the White Wolves of England, but changed this after finding that the name "White Wolves" had been taken by a breakaway faction of the [[neo-Nazi]] group Combat 18.<ref><capture>[http://www.englisc-gateway.com/bbs/topic/17307-a-huge-stumbling-block/ Anglo-Saxon Foundation: A Huge Stumbling Block]</capture></ref>

Within months of the group's establishment, Ingram left and had a falling-out with Youngy;<ref name=fallout>[http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/File:Capture_b5849b696203b46a74321b7e1046f723c86e8523.png Anglo-Saxon Foundation: In fighting hurts our progress] (screencap)</ref> the reason for the split appears to have been Ingram's anti-military stance. While the Shieldwall is generally pro-troops, Ingram predicts a time in which the people of England will have to fight against the British army in an upcoming civil war.<ref>[http://tpuc.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=133129#p133177 TPUC.org: my thoughts on edl and uaf]</ref> Ingram subsequently became involved in the English Community Group (Leicester), an organisation chaired by [[Clive Potter]].<ref>[http://www.blottr.com/leicester-politics/breaking-news/mayor-soulsby-accused-discrimination BLOTTR: Mayor Soulsby accused of discrimination]</ref><ref>[http://www.englisc-gateway.com/bbs/topic/29315-2-videos-from-leicester/#entry129522 Anglo-Saxon Foundation: 2 videos from Leicester]</ref>

==Stance==
Like many other movements on the political margins, the English Shieldwall regards itself as "awakened" and the general public as "brainwashed". This view is elaborated upon at length in one of the group's newsletters:

{{quotebox|Looking at England - & people of English ethnicity – there are two main groups of folk, they are, in general, as follows:

'''The Majority'''<br>
Consisting of men & women that know nothing of English culture. Personal / material gain is everything. The television is generally
on, sport, reality tv, soaps, game shows. They eat fast food & ready meals. The younger of them spend their money on bars & clubs – drinking themselves silly at the weekend whilst dancing to modern, foreign influenced [[music]]. Far too much time is spent
indoors, especially playing video games. They tend to live in crowded cities / the urban environment.

They are brainwashed. They accept everything they are told by the media – be it newspapers, television, or the internet. They eat
halal meat – not because they are [[Muslim]], but because they don’t necessarily realise it is halal, or many cases the ordeal the animal has gone through to produce that meat. They don’t really follow politics, they rarely vote - & if they do it’s for the trendiest looking party, or because their parents voted for the party in the past rather than individual policy.

They are atheist – because they don’t really care for religious based rules or what they describe as fairy stories. Some will describe themselves as Christian – but you can bet they rarely go to church if at all. The women idolise ‘celebrities’ whose only claim to fame is that they have married a footballer, or have inherited enough wealth tobecome ‘socialites’.

These people are pretty much unaware of the problems we face as a people. Others have an idea, but don’t care, as it doesn’t really
affect them at the moment.

'''The Awakened'''<br>
Fully aware of English culture, history & heritage. Personal gain is desired, but only insomuch as to allow a relatively comfortable life. The TV is usually off. Many folk don’t watch it at all – some don’t even have a TV license. Social occasions are spent in the traditional pub, often supping real ale. They enjoy the outdoors, especially the fresh air that comes with the countryside. Many live in rural areas, the others that don’t aspire to live away from the cities.

They are awake. Lies do not often work, & anything told, especially by authority / media / politicians – is researched. They buy
their food from local stores, butchers & the like. They avoid fast food where possible, & detest methods of food production that
cause pain & distress to the animal involved. They follow politics – not necessarily because they all vote, but because they are concerned that the decisions made by politicians will result in negative effects for their community. When they do vote, it is for a party that will genuinely look after their community & take heed of their concerns.

They are either [[atheist]], [[Christian]] or [[Heathen]]. Each man or woman will have reasons for their choice. Celebrities are dismissed as a fad – part of a popular culture that the awakened do not see any sense in.

There people are fully aware of the problems we face, & the many are looking what they can do to preserve the freedoms our ancestors fought for & the English way of life.

These are, of course, stereotypes. Many people will fall between the two.<ref name=newsletter/>}}

The group argued that England is unfairly treated in the [[United Kingdom]] (see [[The West Lothian Question]]) and was initially focused on this issue.<ref>[http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/File:Capture_dc911fecedeb4008f17d17ba6685c4d2af054fd2.png English Shieldwall: Discrimination] (screencap)</ref> It has also complained that Woden-worship is being ignored - apparently failing to realise that this is because only a tiny handful of people are involved in it<ref>[http://englishshieldwall.weebly.com/discrimination-towards-an-ethnic-people.html English Shieldwall: Discrimination towards an ethnic people]</ref> - while its video "The English Shieldwall - Who Are We?" expresses concern over people being "branded racist for requesting an English celebration day at the community centre" and schoolchildren "who [know] nothing of early English history but [have] a huge knowledge of foreign religions, Romans and Egyptians etc".<ref name=Whoarewe>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDFZZCYEG5I YouTube: The English Shieldwall - Who Are We?]</ref>

Later on, the group began promoting a more explicitly [[white nationalist]] viewpoint. "The truth is that the multi-ethnic society has never worked, is not working today, and will never work in the future" said the group's website following the [[2011 England riots]]. "Like the multi-ethnic Roman Empire this modern multi-ethnic '[[New World Order]]' is falling into chaos, anarchy and total destruction by fire and sword!" This situation is blamed partly on "the liberal humanitarian establishment and the alien-controlled media".<ref>[http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/File:Capture_ce8dd03437d2502414b151b5bf354e448cfd7742.png English Shieldwall: Support us] (screencap)</ref>

It has since revised this view. The current incarnation of the English Shieldwall website stresses that it has nothing against non-English people living in England and merely opposes excessive immigration levels, whilst criticising the government's "multicultural, globalist agenda" and advising that English folk value, recognise and practice their traditions.<ref name=about>[http://englishshieldwall.weebly.com/about-us.html English Shieldwall: About Us]</ref>

"The major question remains – why are governments all over the developed west acting in the same way, doing the same things?" reads a newsletter put out by the group. "They all seem intent on letting in as many immigrants as possible, adding to their countries already swollen populations. They all condemn patriots that speak up for the existing, often indigenous population – sometimes sanctioning opposition groups to counter & challenge patriots everywhere they go." The newsletter argues that the motive "could well be the idea, brought about by super rich groups consisting of heads of banks & large corporations (such as the [[Bilderberg group]]) of a new world, borderless, controlled by one government, with one currency." The piece goes on to state that for this to happen "they need to eradicate [[nationalism]], & encourage mixing of cultures – one big mish mash of people, with mono-culture. Nationalism is the thorn in the side of their plans, & they will do what they can, through their many groups & organisations, to suppress it – outlaw it if possible." The article concludes with a warning that "these men & women are mega rich – with money comes power. They could control governments, mobilise armies."<ref name=newsletter>
[http://www.englisc-gateway.com/bbs/files/download/24-the-english-shieldwall-newsletter-issue-03-autumn-2010/ English Shieldwall Newsletter, Autumn 2010]</ref> The Shieldwall also warns its members about the dangers of the Fabian Society.<ref name=newswinter>[http://www.englisc-gateway.com/bbs/files/download/25-the-english-shieldwall-newsletter-issue-04-winter-2010/ English Shieldwall Newsletter, Winter 2010]</ref>

==Activities==
[[File:Stop Anglophobia! Leicester (23.05.10) (51).JPG|thumb|250px|right|The "stop Anglophobia" protest in Leicester]]
Other than posting online and holding private meetings the group's activities appear to be limited to the occasional small-scale march or protest. The earliest of these seems to have been when the group attended a march celebrating St. George's Day on 25 April 2010;<ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6HppAEagQg YouTube: The English Shieldwall - St. George's March 2010]</ref> the following month it staged a "stop Anglophobia" protest in response to an English flag being burnt in Leicester and racial abuse directed towards a local pub landlord;<ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GILp_-ALDgE YouTube: The English Shieldwall - Stop Anglophobia! Leicester (23/05/2010)]</ref> this seems to have been the first time it staged its own event, rather than riding on the back of an existing one.

It then joined an anti-[[Sharia]] protest in August 2010<ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7LtWy8odck YouTube: The English Shieldwall - Citizens Against Sharia, London (31/07/2010)]</ref> and supported a Nuneaton [[English Defence League]] march in November.<ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEl_6xzh8eE YouTube: English Shieldwall - Supporting EDL in Nuneaton (27/11/2010)]</ref> It held another St. George's Day march in 2011,<ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_kmmBMdx-Y YouTube: English Shieldwall - St George's Day 2011 in London]</ref> apparently its last noteworthy activity to date.

Beyond this, the Shieldwall is primarily an online group. At its Facebook group, its supports can be spotted endorsing Iranian attacks on English soil<ref>[[:File:Engshiran.jpg]]</ref> and dismissing the majority of [[Christian]]s as "bed-wetting [[liberal]] cowards".<ref>[[:File:engshichrist.jpg]]</ref>

==Notable members==
Besides Ingram and Youngy, the group's most prominent member is Neil Hodgkiss. Hailed as "decent top brass" by Ingram after he left the group,<ref name=fallout/> Hodgkiss would appear to be the Shieldwall's current leader.

Another member of note is Clive Calladine (active online under the pseudonyms "Harold Godwinsson" and "Teutoburg Weald"<ref>[http://fstdt.net/QuoteComment.aspx?QID=87412&Page=2#1418813 Fundies Say the Darndest Things: Harold Godwinsson]</ref>), who contributed articles to the Shieldwall newsletter.<ref>[http://www.englisc-gateway.com/bbs/files/download/21-the-english-shieldwall-newsletter-issue-01-spring-2010 English Shieldwall Newsletter: Spring 2010]</ref><ref>[http://www.englisc-gateway.com/bbs/files/download/22-the-english-shieldwall-newsletter-issue-02-summer-2010/ English Shieldwall Newsletter: Summer 2010]</ref><ref name=newsletterb/> Calladine later came out in support of [[Anders Behring Breivik]] after his killing spree in July 2011,<ref><capture>[http://www.englisc-gateway.com/bbs/topic/34004-hero-or-villain/#entry154815 Anglo Saxon Foundation: Hero, or villain?]</capture></ref><ref><capture>[http://www.englisc-gateway.com/bbs/topic/29251-far-right-or-just-had-enough-of-government-discrimination/page__st__20#entry129262 Anglo-Saxon Foundation: Far right or just had enough of government discrimination]</capture></ref> as did fellow Shieldwall member Jim Morgan.<ref>[http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/File:Morganbreivik.jpg Facebook posting] (screencap)</ref> The groups website states they don't agree with everything their supporters say, but "will defend their right to say it".<ref name=about/>

The English Shieldwall has its very own marching band, called the Rising Sons of Harold, comprising "AelfredSeax" on fife and "Geþun Hreodpipere" on drum.<ref><capture>[http://www.englisc-gateway.com/bbs/topic/24130-2-english-christmas-carols-fife-and-drum/ Anglo-Saxon Foundation: English Christmas Carols Fife and Drum]</capture></ref><ref><capture>[http://www.englisc-gateway.com/bbs/topic/20643-english-fife-and-drum-selection/ Anglo-Saxon Foundation: English Fife and Drum selection]</capture></ref><ref><capture>[http://www.englisc-gateway.com/bbs/topic/20643-english-fife-and-drum-selection/page__st__40 Anglo-Saxon Foundation: English Fife and Drum selection]</capture></ref>

Novelist [[S. A. Swaffington]], aka Ryan West, is a supporter of the group, and uses its Facebook page to moan about the trouble he has getting his books published.<ref>[https://archive.ph/51FU5 Posting on the English Shieldwall Facebook page, via Archive.ph]</ref> A look through the Amazon reviews of his novel ''The Rise of the Saxons and the Legend of Hengest and Horsa'' might give us a reason for this state of affairs.<ref>[http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Rise-Saxons-Legend-Hengest/dp/1438924003/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top Amazon.co.uk: ''The Rise of the Saxons and the Legend of Hengest and Horsa'']</ref>

==Theme song==
[[File:CalladineBreivik.jpg|thumb|right|500px|English Shieldwall member Clive Calladine (alias "Teutoburg Weald") advocates murdering Asians.]]
[[File:Engshimus.jpg|thumb|375px|right|A typical discussion from the Shieldwall's Facebook page.]]
The English Shieldwall has a rather catchy theme song:<ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQcMjHZwClY YouTube: The English Shieldwall - 'English Shieldwall' Music Video]</ref>

:Lock tight
:Hold tight
:Stand together
:It's the English Shieldwall
:It's the English Shieldwall
:It's not wrong to be English
:It's not wrong to love
:It's who we are
:We're English
:We know where we come from
:So we're gonna stand together
:Lock arms like shields gone by (shields gone by)
:Draw a line in the sand
:And say we're here 'til the day we die
:It's the English Shieldwall
:It's the English Shieldwall
:Who are you to put us down?
:Who are you? You don't know this part of town 
:Who are you? Got a job and your car
:But you don't know where you're from or who you are
:We're not on the attack
:Come and join us
:We're defending our lives
:Come and join us
:There's no turning back
:Come and help us
:On the English Shieldwall
:On the English Shieldwall
:Well, lock tight
:Hold tight
:Stand together
:It's the English Shieldwall
:It's the English Shieldwall
:We know who we are
:We don't need permission to be
:It's deep in our culture
:And history
:We know who we are (we know who we are)
:We are the sons and daughters of liberty (liberty)
:One part of the world's history (history)
:One part of the world's family (family)
:It's the English Shieldwall
:It's the English Shieldwall
:It's the English Shieldwall
:It's the English Shieldwall
:Lock tight
:Hold tight
:Stand together
:It's the English Shieldwall
:It's the English Shieldwall
:It's the English Shieldwall

==Structure==
Originally, the Shieldwall had a needlessly fiddly structure with a load of Old English words thrown about for no apparent reason. Individual members were known as ''Fyrdsmen''; the chairman of a Shieldwall chapter was identified as a ''Thegn''; and the ''Thegns'', in turn, answered to the area's ''Ealdorman''. In addition, each chapter of the Shieldwall was given its own name, such as the Fired Earth Hearth of Mid-Essex, the South Burgh Hearth of Suffolk and the Sarum Sentinels<ref name=newsletter/><ref name=newswinter/> while chapter leaders gave themselves names like "Edmundy, Thane of the Sud folc".<ref name=newsletterb/>

Understandably this whole set-up was eventually dropped, with the chapters disbanded and replaced with a new scheme in which newcomers would only be admitted if they had been recommended by an existing member. "To be a functioning, recognised member of the
English Shieldwall, you will need to become a member" read the group's announcement of the scheme. Can't say fairer than that.<ref name=newsletterb>[http://www.englisc-gateway.com/bbs/files/file/29-the-english-shieldwall-newsletter-issue-07-autumn-2011/ English Shieldwall Newsletter: Autumn 2011]</ref>

==Promotion online==
[[File:FacEngShi.jpg|thumb|325px|right|Have some dignity, Shieldwall. Wikipedia's article about RationalWiki was removed for the same reason, but you don't see us whinging about being "banned on the Internet."  And mind the language on Facebook - your employers might be reading.]]

Co-founder Youngy attempted to use [[Wikipedia]] to advertise the group (a full account of his antics is provided [[Anglo-Saxon_Foundation#The_Wikipedia_incident|here]]).  He did this twice, and later on a second individual created an article about the group<ref>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_talk:%C3%86thelred Wikipedia: User talk:Æthelred]</ref> which was similarly deleted.<ref>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Articles_for_deletion/English_Shieldwall Wikipedia: Articles for deletion: English Shieldwall]</ref>

The reason for this is pretty straightforward: Wikipedia's guidelines on notability require articles to be about subjects that have been covered by reliable third-party sources, such as news reports.  English Shieldwall is an obscure group which, at the time of writing, has almost no coverage in third-party sources, and so it simply does not meet Wikipedia's criteria.

But nevertheless, Youngy insisted that his article was deleted because Wikipedia has an anti-English bias. Following the deletion of the second article, the proprietor of the English Shieldwall Facebook group started a discussion about Wikipedia's alleged Anglophobia, which included a rather creepy post from Breivik-admirer Jim Morgan asking for the IP addresses of the people who were responsible for its deletion.

==Views from other nationalist groups==
Shieldwall's standard response to criticisms of its approach appears to be the tried-and-true method of dismissing detractors as "traitors" or "anti-English".<ref>[http://crossofstgeorge.net/forums/viewtopic.php?p=212404#p212404 Cross of St. George: The English Shieldwall]</ref>

The group is well-liked at the Anglo-Saxon Foundation, which hosts the official English Shieldwall forum,<ref>[http://www.uepengland.com/bbs/index.php/forum/84-english-shieldwall/ Anglo-Saxon Foundation: English Shieldwall Forum]</ref> but found a more lukewarm reception at Cross of St George, a forum dedicated to England's withdrawal from the UK. "Very commendable, but they suffer gravely from an image problem! They've cleverly set themselves up for portrayal as an English [[BNP]]!" says "egbert". "What ordinary, conventional person would want to stand alongside and be seen with them?"

"I take it this is just [[English Defence League|EDL]] MkII then?", added "BeornWulfWer". "All these Burberry caps and football chants of 'inger-land, inger-land' and badly formulated shows of defiance till at least tea time are becoming boring."

The group's founders weighed in: "these are your English people and they are fighting for you!!! and all you can do is pick at what they are wearing!!!!!?????" said "Ingy" Ingram. "How pathetic of you and traitorous of you to attack your own when they are fighting for you in dangerous circumstances." Youngy, meanwhile, cast doubt on whether "BeornWulfWer" was actually English at all, suggesting that he might even be [[Wales|Welsh]].<ref><capture>[http://crossofstgeorge.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=27054 Cross of St. George: The English Shieldwall]</capture></ref>

"Scaffold" was more supportive. "Thank you English Shieldwall for having guts to say word 'ethnicity'", he said. "Is makes me sick to read kneejerk politically-correct apologies like 'irrespective of colour, origin and relgion' every time any organisation dares to say it represents England. That's why I could never bring myself to support English Democrats Party."

Ingram also stated that "Men in suits and [[Jesus]] has proven how they will not save us, in fact they have helped to enslave the English and have taken away our freedom to be freeborn Englishmen and women".<ref>[http://crossofstgeorge.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=27054&sid=beeb9abe350a8c9e9064255df0b9422f&start=15#p212152 Cross of St. George: The English Shieldwall]</ref>

==Defunct?==
[[File:Whitewurm.jpg|thumb|300px|right|Hey diddle diddle, the cat had a piddle]]
Although the group was never officially disbanded, it is not in good shape. The official website has lost its own domain<ref>Oddly, EnglishShieldwall.org is now home to a French blog.</ref> and now makes do with the freehost Weebly; the group doesn't seem to have held any marches or demonstrations since April 2011; its last YouTube upload is from that month; its quarterly newsletter has not been issued since Autumn 2011; and its forum is hardly a hotbed of activity. Its Facebook page is regularly updated, but there is nothing here that can reasonably be described as a campaign group.

The people of England, it would seem, simply didn't want their Shieldwall.

==See also==
*[[British National Party]]
*[[English National Resistance]]
*[[March for England]]

==External links==
* [http://englishshieldwall.weebly.com/ Official website]
* [http://www.youtube.com/user/ShieldwallTube YouTube channel]
* [http://englishshieldwallrandchapter.blogspot.com/ Rand chapter]
* [http://www.uepengland.com/bbs/index.php/forum/84-english-shieldwall/ Forum]
* [https://www.facebook.com/pages/English-Shieldwall/126704110699397 Facebook page]

==References==

{{Reflist|2|90}}

[[Category:British politics]]
[[Category:Nationalism in the UK]]
[[Category:Organizations]]

Categories: British politics, Nationalism in the UK, Organizations