A few days ago, Dagbladet published an interview with Alan Lake, an activist formerly associated with the English Defence League. Lake has come to wider attention after being identified as a possible ideological influence on the mass killer Anders Behring Breivik; Breivik claimed to have been part of a larger group and to have had a mysterious “mentor”, and Lake and Paul Ray have both accused each another of having had this role.
However, it is most likely that the “mentor” is a figment of Breivik’s imagination, and even if such a person exists neither Ray nor Lake fit the profile. This may not be immediately evident to journalists delving into unfamiliar territory, but I have explained here why Ray could not be the mentor, and Lake has no interest in Breivik’s “Templar” fetishism. Ray travelled to Norway to be interviewed by police there during the summer, and Lake has now been interviewed by British police with a Norwegian observer present. As I wrote in October, these counter-accusations may seem farcical, but it should be remembered that they are clogging up an extremely serious and distressing police investigation.
The Dagbladet interview (published in Norwegian – see note below) begins with Lake discussing his interaction with police:
They asked me about [being Breivik’s mentor], but also about much else. I have to say we had a long and interesting conversation. We talked for several hours. I find it flattering that they believe that I’m so important and view me as a kind of expert witness.
The self-regarding tone here is perhaps unfortunate, but he goes on to confirm that he has never had any contact with Breivik, and he claims that had he done so he would have been able to “crush” him through argument:
If I inspired him, he misunderstood. I’m not responsible for how people stupidly misinterpret what I write.
He also believes that Breivik ought to be executed as a murderer.
However, Lake also ruminates on Breivik’s motivation, in a way that appears sympathetic:
I believe Breivik looked around and wondered what he should do. Then he thought “Talking doesn’t help – what I say will be abused. The media will make me look like a villain. And I’ll lose my job.” That’s why he skipped the democratic process and discovered that this was the only way he could get things done. My point is; if you gag people, worse things can happen.”
…Because it’s no longer possible to discuss nation’s right to preserve their own culture, we end up with a Breivik. But he’s special. There aren’t many people who are intelligent, have access to money and instead of impressing beautiful women, retreat to a remote place and make bombs. Rather than a superterrorist like Breivik, we’re going to see hundreds of others who carry out less spectacular actions. Because they can’t think of any other way to express their frustration.
In conclusion, Lake again clarifies that rather than having been the EDL’s “millionaire businessman financier”, he in fact donated just £100-200 to the organisation and is a salaried IT worker.
The interview does not touch on Lake’s disputes with Ray or with Lena Andreassen, former head of the Norwegian Defence League.
UPDATE: On a 4Freedoms discussion page, Lake writes that:
Surprisingly, a correspondent told me that the article went down well in Norway. Well, I just told it like it is, if people like it or not, its up to them. It must have been funny to read someone speaking in such a politically incorrect way as mine!
NOTE: Because the interview was published in Norwegian, the quotes may not be Lake’s exact words. I made use of an unofficial translation back into English (cross-referenced with Google Translate) here.
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