The conservative US legal advocacy group responsible for overturning Roe v Wade is significantly expanding its operations and spending in the United Kingdom and across Europe, aiming to export its model of litigation on contentious social issues.
Global Ambitions and Surging Spending
The Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) and its international arm, ADF International, spent a combined $10.9 million on international grants and programmes in the year ending June 2024, according to their latest public tax records. This represents a substantial increase in their overseas activity, with spending on Europe-related issues alone appearing to rise by 70% year-on-year.
Paul Coleman, the Vienna-based executive director of ADF International, framed the group's mission as "not only defending the persecuted, but also countering censorship, upholding biological reality, and securing rights for parents." In the organisation's 2024 annual report, he claimed success in 39 cases at the European Court of Human Rights and 282 victories in national courts.
The Blueprint: From US Courts to European Legal Systems
The group's strategy involves replicating a blueprint that proved successful in the United States. This involves identifying and promoting individual legal cases where Christians allege persecution or censorship for their beliefs, with the aim of elevating these claims to the highest national and European courts.
In the UK, ADF's branch has funded the defence of anti-abortion campaigner Livia Tossici-Bolt, who was convicted in April 2025 for breaching a buffer zone outside an abortion clinic in Bournemouth. ADF UK states it "continues to support her legal defence."
The group's influence in British politics has also drawn scrutiny. A lawyer for ADF appeared alongside Reform UK leader Nigel Farage before the US House Judiciary Committee, testifying about free speech concerns in the UK. Reports suggest ADF has also "brokered" meetings between Farage and top US State Department officials.
An ADF International spokesperson stated the group is "non-politically partisan" and engages with parliamentarians from every major Westminster party. However, a Labour spokesperson said there was no record of any contact with the party.
Controversial Cases and International Backlash
Critics warn that ADF's expanding foreign operations pose a threat to civil liberties in Europe. Alyssa Bowen of the investigative watchdog True North Research argued that ADF uses religious freedom "not as a shield but as a sword to attack equal rights."
Bowen pointed to the group's record of "attacking the rights of women, the LGBTQ+ community, and parents and teachers who support truth in public education" as a lesson for other nations to impose limits on foreign spending intended to influence legal and political systems.
A prominent example of ADF International's work is its defence of Finnish MP Päivi Räsänen, a Christian Democrat charged with incitement against a minority group after criticising her church's support for an LGBT Pride event. Räsänen, acquitted twice, now has her case before the Finnish Supreme Court, a landmark test of hate speech laws concerning sexual minorities.
The case has drawn significant attention from far-right figures in Europe. Räsänen confirmed she recently met with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in Budapest, though she stated ADF was not involved in arranging the meeting.
ADF International also highlights its work defending individuals like Yahaya Sharif-Aminu in Nigeria, who faces a death sentence for blasphemy, stating its advocacy is based on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and "benefits everyone, regardless of their beliefs."
As the group continues to ramp up its spending and legal interventions, its efforts to shape law and policy on issues from abortion and free speech to LGBTQ+ rights are set to remain a focal point of controversy on both sides of the Atlantic.
