DW.de German citizens gathered by the thousands in several demonstrations against the anti-Islam movement “Pegida.” Politicians said they were proud of the large numbers of people supporting immigrants.
Citizens thronged to streets in German cities to protest the anti-Islam movement “PEGIDA,” members of which gather nearly every Monday to rally against a perceived Islamization of Western countries.
The Mayor of Stuttgart in Germany’s southern state of Baden Württemberg, Fritz Kuhn, expressed “pride and joy” at the large numbers of anti-PEGIDA demonstrators, saying it was a clear statement against the marginalization of immigrants and for integrating refugees into German culture.
“Refugees are welcome in Stuttgart,” Kuhn said, adding that Stuttgart was no place for people who discriminated against others. Kuhn also appealed to people of other cities to not give in and “become a tool for right-extremist Neonazis.”
Protesters were also gathering in other German cities to rally against PEGIDA- an acronym for Patriotic Europeans against the Islamization of the West.
Demonstrations in several major cities in #Germany against anti-islam movement #nopegida welt http://t.co/aHgcGXXmIW pic.twitter.com/tZSiaidms3
— Breaking 3.0 U.S. (@Breaking3zeroUS) January 5, 2015
#Cologne: Several cities tonight in #Germany against the racist #Pegida movement. #NoPegida p/v @FelixMSteiner pic.twitter.com/84cFArhoio — ѕyndιcalιѕт (@syndicalisms) January 5, 2015
#Germany: Lights out at Dome in #Cologne & Brandenburg Gate, #Berlin against xenophobic demonstrations. #NoPegida pic.twitter.com/iQi8Hiul2W
— ѕyndιcalιѕт (@syndicalisms) January 5, 2015
Seems like Germany is showing Europe how to quash a xenophobic movement tonight #nopegida MT @markuspreiss pic.twitter.com/mOqnOre6re — Nicolas Kayser-Bril (@nicolaskb) January 5, 2015
Source DW.de