The wave of anti-Islam protests gripping the German city of Dresden have ignited a political row, after the leader of the country's rapidly growing Eurosceptic party publicly backed the protesters.
Ten thousand people took to the streets of Dresden on Monday in the latest in a series of weekly rallies under the banner of Patriotic Europeans against the Islamisation of Europe, or Pegida, to protest against what they say is the erosion of Germany's Judeo-Christian culture by Muslim immigrants.
Bernd Lucke, the leader of the anti-Euro Alternative for Germany party (AfD), provoked outrage when he backed the protesters on his Facebook page, saying it is "good and right" that people are giving voice to their fears.
"It is a sign that these people do not feel their concerns are understood by politicians," he wrote.
The AfD, which opposes the single currency and further integration, but is not against the EU, has made considerable gains in recent state elections. » | Justin Huggler, Berlin | Wednesday, December 10, 2014
