‘No Political Party in Germany Addresses Loss of Culture Worries’ – Pegida Leader

While Merkel looks to Turkey for help, many Germans feel the country cannot cope with the record influx of foreigners. Recent surveys suggest support for her back at home is dropping. Meanwhile, tensions are rising - with a wave of anti-migrant protests across Europe in recent days, as well as a number of arson attacks on refugee centers. For more RT is joined by Tatjana Festerling, one of the leaders of Pegida.

Huge Anniversary PEGIDA March Tonight, as Government Propaganda Attempts to Link Group to Violence

BREITBART.COM: Tens of thousands of supporters are expected to gather in Dresden, Germany this evening to mark the first anniversary of anti-Islamisation movement Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the West (PEGIDA). The German government once again denounced the “hate” movement and attempted to put blame on the peaceful group for arson attacks on asylum centres.

Marine Le Pen MEP, leader of France’s Front National party, was invited as the star speaker at the anniversary PEGIDA event, but is rumoured to have dropped out at the last minute. Dutch conservative MP Geert Wilders of the Party for Freedom is still expected to address the crowd, tonight or later in week, as celebrations continue for a few days.

Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, reiterated her call on citizens not to attend, and on Monday her spokesman said those who went along “had hate in their hearts,” DPA reports.

In reference to the recent rise in arson attacks on asylum centres across Germany, a spokesman for Minister Thomas de Maizière of Mrs. Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party, claimed that such crimes clustered around locations where PEGIDA rallies took place, implying they are related, Euractiv reports.

Heiko Maas, Minister for Justice and Consumer Protection, of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), said in an official government statement today: “Our rule of law will not shrink from threats and incitement to hatred,” in reference to PEGIDA. » | Liam Deacon | Monday, October 19, 2015

LIVE: PEGIDA 1st Anniversary March to Meet Massive Counter-demo in Dresden

Anti-fascist protesters are due to rally in Dresden on Monday, October 19, as they threaten to disrupt a march of far-right movement Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the West (PEGIDA), on the occasion of the first anniversary of the movement.

Dresden wappnet sich für Pegida-Demo

NEUE LUZERNER ZEITUNG: DEUTSCHLAND ⋅ Die Dresdener Polizei hat angesichts mehrerer Gegendemonstrationen gegen die islamfeindliche Pegida-Jubiläumskundgebung Verstärkung aus anderen deutschen Bundesländern angefordert. Es werde insgesamt mit über 10'000 Demonstranten gerechnet.

Auch Beamte der deutschen Bundespolizei seien am Abend im Einsatz, sagte eine Sprecherin der Dresdener Polizei am Montag. Die Zahl der eingesetzten Polizisten werde nicht bekanntgegeben. Nach Angaben der Dresdner Stadtverwaltung waren bis zum Freitag acht Demonstrationen neben der Pegida-Kundgebung angekündigt worden. » | sda/reu/dpa | Montag, 19. Oktober 2015

Ein Jahr Pegida: Der Ton verschärft sich

Zehntausend Demonstranten werden zum Jubiläum erwartet - mehr denn je. Ein Jahr Pegida - ein Rückblick:

German Interior Minister de Maizière Condemns PEGIDA after 'Horrifying' Attacks

DEUTSCHE WELLE: In an interview with the German public broadcaster ARD, de Maiziere claimed that the organizers of the PEGIDA group were 'hard right-wing extremists.' The group is preparing to hold another rally in Dresden.

"They make blanket references to asylum seekers as criminals, and all politicians as being guilty of high treason," de Maiziere told the ARD television channel, alluding in part to the knife attack on Cologne mayoral candidate Henriette Reker, which was apparently in protest of the city's policies on the intake of refugees. Workers who help migrants in the city were also wounded in the attack on Saturday.

The minister referred to a tripling of attacks against asylum seekers since last year as "horrifying," and urged people - even those who did have concerns about the migrant influx - not to follow PEGIDA. "Hate prepares the ground for such acts," he said.

"Stay away from those who are injecting this hatred, this poison, into our country," he said in the interview on Sunday night. "Anyone who goes that way should know that they are following rabble rousers." » | rc/jm (dpa, Reuters) | Monday, October 19, 2015

Deutschland: Maas: Pegida mitschuldig an Anschlägen

RP ONLINE (RHEINISCHE POST): Berlin. Der Bundesjustizminister übt scharfe Kritik an den Rechtspopulisten.

Nach den jüngsten Vorfällen bei einer Demonstration der sogenannten Pegida-Bewegung ("Patriotische Europäer gegen die Islamisierung des Abendlandes") in Dresden hat Bundesjustizminister Heiko Maas (SPD) schwere Vorwürfe gegen rechtspopulistische Hetzer erhoben. Die Anhänger der Gruppe sieht Maas als mitverantwortlich für Brandanschläge auf geplante Flüchtlingsheime. "Niemand, der da mitläuft, kann sich von der Verantwortung freimachen für die Taten, die diese Hetze inspiriert", sagte Maas unserer Redaktion. Als Beispiele nannte er brennende Heime oder verletzte Flüchtlingshelfer. Wer Galgen baue und Menschen daran baumeln sehen wolle, setze Hemmschwellen herab. Es gebe keine Ausreden mehr, so der Minister. » | Von Michael Bröcker und Jan Drebes | Quelle: RP | Samstag, 17. Oktober 2015

DIE PRESSE: Deutscher Justizminister warnt vor Pegida-Marsch-Teilnahme » | APA/dpa | Samstag, 17. Oktober 2015

German Anti-Islam Protesters Slam 'Dangerous' Merkel

FRANCE 24: DRESDEN (GERMANY) (AFP) - Germany's anti-Islam party PEGIDA stepped up its attacks on Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday, slamming her as "the most dangerous woman in Europe" and demanding she resign.

PEGIDA leader Tatjana Festerling told a rally of thousands of supporters in the eastern city of Dresden that Merkel's policy of welcoming refugees had turned Germany into a "gigantic camp in the jungle".

Festerling, who came fourth in Dresden's mayoral elections in June with 10 percent of the vote, denounced Merkel as "irresponsible" describing her as "the most dangerous woman in Europe". » | AFP | Monday, October 12, 2015

Germany: PEGIDA Slams Merkel Over Refugee Influx

Dresden PEGIDA Rally Draws Thousands Demanding Ouster of Refugees, Merkel

THE JAPAN TIMES: DRESDEN, GERMANY – Thousands of Germans took part Monday in a protest organized by the anti-Islam group PEGIDA, almost one year after it held its first rally in the eastern city of Dresden.

Police declined to provide a crowd count for the protest, which passed peacefully. An AP reporter estimated the crowd at about 7,000-8,000.

Speakers including PEGIDA co-founder Lutz Bachmann denounced the decision of German Chancellor Angela Merkel government’s to take in hundreds of thousands of refugees, many of whom are fleeing conflicts in Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq.

“They are leading us straight into a European civil war,” Bachmann told the crowd in front of Dresden’s famous Semperoper opera house. Protesters responded with chants of “Merkel must go” and calls to deport refugees. One protester carried a mock gallows with two hangman’s nooses, marked “Reserved for Angela Merkel” and “Reserved for Sigmar Gabriel,” her deputy. » | AP | Tuesday, October 13, 2015

«Merkel macht aus Deutschland ein riesiges Dschungelcamp»

TAGES ANZEIGER: Fast 10'000 Menschen haben in Dresden an einer Pegida-Kundgebung teilgenommen. Die Bundesregierung und deren Flüchtlingspolitik sind harsch kritisiert worden.

Am Montagabend haben sich in Dresden erneut tausende Menschen an einer Demonstration der antiislamischen Pegida-Bewegung beteiligt. Nach Schätzungen der Gruppe Durchgezählt versammelten sich bis zu 9000 Menschen auf dem Theaterplatz vor der Semperoper.

Der Pegida-Mitbegründer Lutz Bachmann wies in seiner Rede auf das einjährige Bestehen von Pegida in der kommenden Woche hin. Die Bundesregierung bezeichnete er als «unsere Berliner Diktatoren» und kritisierte deren Flüchtlingspolitik. Hier sei eine «Kehrtwende dringend erforderlich». Es müsse «unattraktiver werden, in Deutschland Asyl zu beantragen». » | woz/chk/sda | Montag, 12. Oktober 2015

Verwandt »

Germany: Antifa Scuffle with Police at PEGIDA Demo

Tenions were high as Antifa protesters scuffled with police in the Bavarian city of Wurzburg on Monday, as an estimated 200 PEGIDA (Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the West) protesters marched through the city.

WIKIPEDIA: Antifa »

WIKI: Würzburg »

Germany: PEGIDA Supporters March in Munich against Refugees

Around 3,000 PEGIDA (Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the West) supporters marched through the streets of Munich against refugees on Monday, as a small group of antifascists participated in a counter demonstration.

‪Germany: Thousands of PEGIDA Protesters Rally against Refugees in Dresden‬

Thousands of PEGIDA (Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the West) supporters marched on the Theaterplatz in Dresden, Monday, against refugees and the so-called "Islamisation" of the West.

EDL Founder Tommy Robinson Addresses Pegida Anti-Islam Rally in Holland

THE INDEPENDENT When Robinson announced he was quitting the English Defence League he declared the group was 'part of the problem'

When Tommy Robinson announced two years ago that he was quitting the English Defence League (EDL) and embracing multi-culturalism it was hailed as one of the more improbable volte faces in recent times.

Appearing alongside two former Islamist activists, the EDL founder declared his group to be “part of the problem” and said he would be working with the counter-extremist Quilliam Foundation to combat Islamism.

But this weekend Robinson seemed to have returned to his roots after he travelled to the Netherlands to address a rally of the anti-Islam movement Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the Occident (Pegida) and declared that he was “proud” to have set up the EDL. The far-right figurehead appeared alongside the leaders of Pegida in the Dutch city of Utrecht to call for a day of protest across Europe. He described his former EDL colleagues as “brave and fearless”. Read on and comment » | Cahal Milmo, Chief Reporter |Tuesday, October 13, 2015

Deutschland: Erneut Tausende bei fremdenfeindlicher Pegida-Kundgebung in Dresden

BLICK.CH: Dresden – Am Montagabend haben sich in Dresden erneut tausende Menschen an einer Demonstration der antiislamischen Pegida-Bewegung beteiligt.

Der Pegida-Mitbegründer Lutz Bachmann wies in seiner Rede auf das einjährige Bestehen von Pegida in der kommenden Woche hin. Die Bundesregierung bezeichnete er als «unsere Berliner Diktatoren» und kritisierte deren Flüchtlingspolitik. Hier sei eine «Kehrtwende dringend erforderlich». Es müsse «unattraktiver werden, in Deutschland Asyl zu beantragen».

Einen Auftritt gab es auch für die ehemalige Hamburger Politikerin der Partei Alternative für Deutschland, Tatjana Festerling. Sie warf Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel vor, aus Deutschland ein «riesiges Dschungelcamp» gemacht zu haben. Den Zuzug von Flüchtlingen und Asylsuchenden bezeichnete sie als «Ansturm der Invasoren». » | SDA | Montag, 12. Oktober 2015

Six Arrested during Pegida Demo in Utrecht Face Charges

DUTCH NEWS: At least six of the 10 people arrested during a demonstration by the anti-Islam Pegida movement in The Hague on Saturday face criminal charges, the public prosecution department said on Monday.

One of the 10 people remains in jail. Two have been released without charge and the investigation into two others is continuing, the department said in a statement.

The six will face a range of charges, including public disorder offences, resisting arrest, using violence against a horse and insulting behaviour. The arrests came after fighting broke out with members of a counter-demonstration, despite the efforts of police to keep them separate.

In addition, the department is looking into the speeches made during the rally, particularly that by Raffie Chohan, who is a visible and vocal anti-Islam campaigner, news agency ANP says. » | Monday, October 12, 2015

German Anti-Islam Group Vents Fury at Merkel over Refugee Welcome

YAHOO! NEWS: Dresden (Germany) (AFP) - Thousands of German anti-Islam protesters on Monday vented their fury at Chancellor Angela Merkel over her welcoming of refugees, accusing her of "high treason" and "crimes against the German people".

With Europe's top economy expecting to take in up to a million people fleeing war and poverty this year, anger has flared among anti-foreigner groups and members of the anti-Islam PEGIDA movement ("Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the Occident").

"Merkel is guilty, commits ethnocide against the German people," read one banner at the rally in Dresden, the historic city in the former communist East where PEGIDA emerged about a year ago and, after a lull, is now looking to swell its ranks.

Waving flags, the agitated crowd cheered on co-founder Lutz Bachmann, 42, who was charged last week with inciting racial hatred by labelling asylum-seekers "animals", "trash" and "filthy rabble".

"It won’t stop with 1.5 or two million" arrivals, he said.

"They will have their wives come, and one, two, three children. It is an impossible task to integrate these people." » | Coralie Febvre | Monday, October 5, 2015

Sebnitz: 3.000 Menschen folgen Pegidas Aufruf zur Grenzschließung

Schätzungsweise 3000 Menschen haben sich gestern in der deutsch-tschechischen Grenzstadt Sebnitz versammelt, um entlang der sächsisch-tschechischen Grenze eine symbolische Menschenkette gegen den Zustrom von Flüchtlingen zu bilden. Die ursprünglich angesagte Menschenkette am Grenzübergang wurde jedoch nicht verwirklicht.

Sachsen: Tausende demonstrieren gegen Flüchtlinge

SPIEGEL ONLINE: In mehreren sächsischen Städten sind am Wochenende Tausende Menschen auf die Straßen gegangen, um gegen Flüchtlinge zu protestieren. Allein in Sebnitz wollten etwa 2500 Demonstranten eine "lebende Grenze" bilden.

Tausende Menschen haben sich am Wochenende in Sachsen an Demonstrationen gegen den Verbleib von Flüchtlingen im Land beteiligt. In Sebnitz an der Grenze zu Tschechien versammelten sich am Sonntagnachmittag nach dpa-Schätzungen 2500 Menschen: Sie wollten eine "lebende Grenze" formieren. Die Polizei machte keine Angaben zu den Teilnehmern, dementierte die Schätzungen aber auch nicht. Zu der Demo war aus dem Pegida-Umfeld aufgerufen worden. » | aar/dpa | Montag, 5. Oktober 2015