What is Pegida? • Founded in Dresden by Lutz Bachmann in October 2014 • Acronym for Patriotische Europaer gegen die Islamisierung des Abendlandes (Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the West) • Umbrella group for German right wing, attracting support from mainstream conservatives to neo-Nazi factions and football hooligans • Holds street protests against what it sees as a dangerous rise in the influence of Islam over European countries • Claims not to be racist or xenophobic • 19-point manifesto says the movement opposes extremism and calls for protection of Germanys Judeo-Christian culture
Posted on: Thu, 22 Jan 2015 04:46:40 +0000