Witches Anti-Defamation League (WADL)

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Witches Anti-Defamation League (WADL)

An early organization in the contemporary neo-pagan witchcraft movement founded by Leo Louis Martello. It was designed " to educate the public, counteract false accusations, take legal steps, obtain IRS recognition, paid legal holidays (such as Halloween) for members, fight distortions, hold regular festivals."

Neo-pagan witches claim that they are descendants of the pagan religions that held sway in Europe prior to the forced conversion of the population to Christianity. They do not believe in the Devil or practice Satanism. This view was presented in Martello's book, Witchcraft: The Old Religion.

WADL functioned through the 1970s and was superseded by other similar organizations including the Aquarian Anti-Defamation League (1980s) and the presently existing Witches' League for Public Awareness.

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