By SARA MALM FOR MAINLINE PUBLISHED: 16:51 GMT, 15 February 2016 | UPDATED: 19:02 GMT, 15 February 2016

'Soldiers of Odin' anti-immigrant group spreads from Finland to Norway as one of its 'patrols' operates in the country for the first time

Soldiers of Odin spreads across Scandinavia from Finland to Norway

Group of 14 'soldiers' patrolled town of Tønsberg, south Norway

Soldiers of Odin were met with protests from locals in the town

Anti-immigrant vigilante group was founded in Finland last October

The extreme right-wing vigilante group Soldiers of Odin have spread across Scandinavia from Finland to Norway, according to reports.

The anti-immigrant group was formed last autumn and have been patrolling streets in several Finnish towns 'to protect the Finns from the threat of asylum seekers'.

This week, a group of Soldiers of Odin have been seen on a vigilante walk through the town of Tønsberg in southern Norway.

During what is believed to be the first appearance of Soldiers of Odin groups outside of Finland, some 14 'soldiers' walked around the town on Saturday night.

However, the group, dressed in black coats wearing the insignia of the Soldiers of Odin met heavy resistance from the local population, who rejected their protection and protested their presence.

'In Tønsberg, we don't have a big problem with violent rapes and drug crimes in the city centres on the weekends,' local politician Olav Sannes Vika told the group according to The Local.

'We don't want patrols here. We don't want you here in our city.'

According to a local newspaper, the 14 'soldiers' who patrolled Tønsberg, are 'well-known members of the extreme far-right including some who have criminal records'.

Soldiers of Odin was formed in the northern town of Kemi in October last year when the influx of migrants peaked in Finland.

The group insist their patrols are needed to protect the peace in the sparsely populated nation of 5.5 million, to keep Finnish people safe from 'the increasing numbers of asylum-seekers'.

Finland was not a major destination for migrants until 32,500 people applied for asylum last year. Most came from Iraq but also from Afghanistan, Somalia and Syria.

'It's chaotic and getting out of hand,' Mika Ranta, a 29-year-old truck driver who founded the group, said last month.

'We should be more careful about who we let into the country.'

Ranta claims the group is not racist, but considers the newcomers a threat because 'they are Muslims.'

'Islam has never adapted anywhere and only brings problems with it. They don't tolerate anyone else apart from believers in Islam,' Ranta said.

He said police are overworked and need help to deal with the migration situation — a claim rejected by Finland's National Police Commissioner last month.

Soldiers of Odin raised their profile on social media following reports that Finnish women were harassed on New Year's Eve in incidents that resembled a string of attacks in Cologne, Germany, that were blamed largely on foreigners.

Police are investigating 15 reported cases of sexual assault, including rape, attempted rape and groping in downtown Helsinki during New Year's celebrations, with many of the suspected perpetrators having foreign backgrounds, including some asylum-seekers.

Read more: 'Soldiers of Odin' anti-immigrant group spreads from Finland to Norway | Daily Mail Online