Image: Loldiers of Odin

The much-contested street patrol organisation calling itself the Soldiers of Odin has spurred a contender – albeit an extremely tongue-in-cheek one.

A group of professional clowns – calling themselves the Loldiers of Odin – marched, danced and leaped through the streets of Tampere on Saturday in colourful garb, sporting humorous flags and tambourines.

The name of the group is a portmanteau of the online acronym "LOL" (laugh out loud) and the word "soldier" in the name of the nationalist street patrol group. The group's blog states that their intention is to make Finnish streets safer and more fun for everyone.

The timing for the clowns' parade was no accident, as it coincided with a Soldiers of Odin patrol in the same area. The Loldiers walked and danced behind the Soldiers of Odin group while singing humorous songs and horsing around. They carried flags and signs with logos and catch phrases playing off of similar signs used by Neo-Nazi sympathisers.

The Soldiers of Odin group has been accused of being a far-right group.

The clown group published a video of their exploits on YouTube.