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PEGIDA

PEGIDA - Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamization of the Occident (or "West") - is a Dresden-based movement which has been organizing public demonstrations since October 2014.

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All Content on this topic

A protest by anti-far right group "Heart not Hate" in Chemnitz on Sept. 1, 2018

Far-right violence: Chemnitz riot trial begins Monday

Five years after right-wing extremist riots rocked Chemnitz, the highly-anticipated trial begins on Monday.
PoliticsDecember 10, 2023
DW SHIFT | Troll, Hetze

A former troll now fights hate speech

For years, Goran Jevtic trolled political opponents on the web. Then he had a change of heart.
Digital WorldMay 5, 202301:58 min
A view of a Lady Justice statue in Frankfurt, Germany

Right-wing extremists in Germany's judiciary?

Lay judges hand down verdicts alongside professionals. The posts seem attractive for people with unconstitutional views.
Law and JusticeApril 1, 2023
People carry a sign reading "PEGIDA that was your fourth year"

Intelligence agency says Pegida is 'anti-constitutional'

Spy chiefs say the anti-Islam protest movement is becoming increasingly far-right and "extremist."
PoliticsMay 7, 2021
People protest Pegida with banners

Anti-Islam rally meets resistance in Dresden

Members of the far-right Pegida movement took to the streets of Dresden, but they didn't have the city to themselves.
PoliticsFebruary 18, 2020
Anti-PEGIDA protest in Dresden

PEGIDA, critics hold Dresden rallies

Five years after the anti-immigration group held its first rally, PEGIDA supporters faced four counterdemonstrations.
PoliticsOctober 20, 2019
Riot police look on as Bavarian Pegida members demonstrate in Berlin

German police investigate far-right PEGIDA leader

Police in Dresden have confirmed they have opened a new investigation into far-right PEGIDA leader Lutz Bachmann.
PoliticsOctober 9, 2019
Far-right Pegida supporters demonstrate in Dresden, Saxony

German far-right supporters condone politician's murder

Prosecutors in Dresden have begun an investigation into Pegida supporters who scoffed at the murder of Walter Lübcke.
Law and JusticeJuly 5, 2019
Anti-PEGIDA protest

PEGIDA turns 4: Rival groups rally in Dresden

Some 10,000 people joined demonstrations in Dresden opposing a celebratory rally by the far-right group PEGIDA.
PoliticsOctober 21, 2018
Deutschland - Meißen an der Elbe

Inside Europe: Campaigning against the far-right

PoliticsSeptember 28, 201806:31 min
Spielort EM 2024 - Leipzig am Abend

Eastern Germany 'too slow' at catching up to west

German lawmakers warn this convergence is happening too slowly, and locals are feeling the strain.
SocietySeptember 26, 2018
Chemnitz

Inside Europe: The aftermath of Chemnitz

DW's Political Correspondent Thomas Sparrow joins Keith Walker to talk about the aftermath of Chemnitz.
PoliticsSeptember 6, 201804:15 min
The far-right demonstrates in Chemnitz in front of Karl Marx

Eastern Germany awash in anxiety and envy

The resentments at play over migrants in Germany have reached a dangerous level following the stabbing of a German man.
PoliticsSeptember 2, 2018
Dresden mosque bomber

Dresden mosque bomber handed prison sentence

The bombing two years ago had caused worry about far-right violence against Muslims.
CrimeAugust 31, 2018
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The Day – Chemnitz Riots

Neo-Nazis and far-right supporters have gathered for another night of protests in the city of Chemnitz. The anti-migrant protests were allegedly triggered by the stabbing of a German man. A prison worker has now been suspended for leaking details of the killing to extremist groups. Brent Goff spoke with Andreas Nick, a member of parliament for Chancellor Merkel's party.
August 31, 201803:50 min
A PEGIDA demonstration in Dresden, Germany

PEGIDA protester leaves police after reporter row

The man who prompted authorities to hold reporters at a demonstration in Dresden no longer works for the state police.
MediaAugust 30, 2018
Deutschland Demonstration der rechten Szene in Chemnitz

Officials blame fake news for fueling Chemnitz riots

Officials in the German city of Chemnitz said fake news items on social media helped the riots spread.
Law and JusticeAugust 29, 2018
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Few foreigners - but a hotbed for xenophobia?

Eastern Germany has the smallest numbers of migrants and foreigners for any region of the country. So why is it a hotbed for right-wing extremism and xenophobia?, Brent Goff asked Professor Werner Patzelt from Dresden Technical University.
August 29, 201805:43 min
Placard displaying Pinocchio-type figure and reading 'propaganda' and 'lies'

Dresden police apologize for holding reporters

Dresden's police chief has apologized for detaining a camera team from public broadcaster ZDF.
PoliticsAugust 25, 2018
A fast food restaurant in Leipzig after the 2016 riot

Jail time for extremists in Leipzig riot

The 2016 riot by right-wing extremists caused hundreds of thousands of euros in damage and more than 200 arrests.
Law and JusticeAugust 24, 2018
German Chancellor Angela Merkel

Merkel supports reporters in PEGIDA rally debate

As a scandal continues to grow over police actions at a far-right rally in Dresden, Merkel has defended the reporters.
MediaAugust 23, 2018
Saxony cops

German police fight far-right infiltration claims

The Saxony state government has been forced to ask whether its police are harboring far-right sympathizers.
Law and JusticeAugust 23, 2018
German police at a far-right protest in Duisburg

PEGIDA man in reporter row was police employee

Saxony officials admitted that the man who berated reporters at a PEGIDA protest last week was a state police employee.
PoliticsAugust 23, 2018
PEGIDA demo in Dresden

Journalists under threat in Germany?

After several high-profile violent incidents, journalists in Germany seem to increasingly be the targets of violence.
MediaAugust 21, 2018
Deutschland Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel

Merkel confronts critics in AfD country

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has just returned from her summer holidays and she's already braving enemy territory.
PoliticsAugust 16, 2018
Alexander Gauland & Jörg Meuthen

AfD being radicalized from the bottom up

Many prominent AfD members are seemingly unafraid of espousing racist ideology. Experts warn its becoming radicalized.
PoliticsAugust 6, 2018
Tommy Robinson

Far-right British activist Robinson freed from prison

A court has released British anti-Muslim activist Tommy Robinson after he won a contempt of court appeal.
SocietyAugust 1, 2018
Lutz Bachman

PEGIDA founder refused entry into UK

The figurehead of the anti-Islam movement PEGIDA was detained at a London airport before being deported.
CrimeMarch 19, 2018
Sendung "popXport" Kraus

Kraus: German history in an epic pop song

Hamburg band Kraus reviews 25 years of recent German history in a 33-minute song
MusicMarch 17, 201803:49 min
PEGIDA founder Lutz Bachman

Police probe anti-Muslim group chief over tweet

PEGIDA founder Lutz Bachmann posted the alleged killer of a teen girl, but police say he had the wrong guy.
CrimeMarch 14, 2018
Lady justice statue in Frankfurt, Germany

The far-right's push to enter Germany's judiciary

German far-right groups are calling on their members to apply to be lay judges and "ensure justice" is done.
Law and JusticeMarch 9, 2018
Arson attack on mosque in Berlin

Germany: Almost 1,000 anti-Muslim crimes in 2017

Germany's Interior Ministry says at least 950 hate crimes were committed against Muslims or mosques in 2017.
SocietyMarch 3, 2018
A crescent moon adorns a play structure in Neukölln

Berlin opens controversial Ali Baba playground

An Ali Baba themed playground in the German capital has been subject to vitriolic attacks for its Islamic symbols.
SocietyDecember 7, 2017
Gallows in Dresden

Mini Merkel gallows allowed to go on sale

Saxony prosecutors have attracted anger after ruling that a gallows "reserved for Angela Merkel" could be put on sale.
Law and JusticeDecember 6, 2017
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@dwnews - German professor's racist posts cause outrage

EducationNovember 22, 201703:24 min
The artwork "Monument" in Dresden

Controversial anti-war monument on show in Berlin

An unusual peace memorial by a Syrian-born artist will be set up in front of the Brandenburg Gate for two weeks.
ArtsNovember 8, 2017
PEGIDA supporters attend the movement's 3rd anniversary rally in Dresden

Thousands protest racism on PEGIDA anniversary

Stormy weather has dampened a demonstration in Dresden to mark the third anniversary of the anti-Islam movement PEGIDA.
PoliticsOctober 29, 2017
Deutschland Skulptur «Monument» in Dresden

Artists in eastern Germany fight the rise of the far-right

Theaters in the former East fight populism with culture. They counter AfD ideology by engaging the next generation.
TheaterSeptember 29, 2017
Akif Pirincci

Dresden court fines far-right author over hate speech

Hate speech vilifying foreigners two years ago has cost the far-right author Akif Pirincci a hefty fine.
PoliticsSeptember 25, 2017
Petra Köpping (center) at a demonstration against intolerance

WorldLink: Understanding the Pegida phenomenon

Saxony's integration minister Petra Köpping took office in 2014, around the time Pegida, which stands for Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamization of the West, started marching in the streets of Dresden. As many feared the rise of far-right nationalism, especially in Germany's East, Köpping wanted to understand why so many of her constituents were drawn to xenophobic rallies.
SocietySeptember 15, 201705:23 min
Deutschland Protest gegen Demo der Anti-Islam-Bewegeung "Dügida" in Düsseldorf

Dusseldorf 'Lights out' mayor broke the law

A German court has ruled Dusseldorf's mayor had no right to cut lighting on public buildings at a right-wing protest.
PoliticsSeptember 13, 2017
Pegida demonstration in Dresden

The migrant and the hotline

Worried about the refugee crisis? In Germany, there's a number you can call about that.
PoliticsAugust 25, 2017
German Muslims

Growing violence in anti-Muslim attacks

The number of people being injured in Islamophobic attacks in Germany has increased this year.
CrimeAugust 18, 2017
Deutschland Rechtsradikale Gewalt gegen Ausländer in Rostock-Lichtenhagen 1992

Far-right extremism 25 years after Rostock riot

How far has Germany come in the 25 years since 2,000 right-wing extremists committed a massive xenophobic attack?
PoliticsAugust 15, 2017
Zehn Gründe für Dresden | Radfahrer auf dem Elberadweg in Dresden

US tourist beaten for giving Hitler salute

A tourist from the United States was punched in Dresden after he mimicked the Nazi salute multiple times.
HistoryAugust 13, 2017
Nationalist demonstrators holding a German flag

New strategies for far-right publishers in Germany

Small right-wing publishers are gaining ground in Germany, releasing provocative anti-Semitic or Islamophobic works.
CultureJuly 24, 2017
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Far-right movement marches through Berlin

Hundreds of mostly young, far-right activists marched through Berlin promoting "Europe for Europeans."
June 17, 201701:01 min
Pegida Demonstrators at Dresden's Altmarkt in 2016

Far-right flourishes in Dresden

Just how much support does Germany's far-right receive in eastern Germany and where does it come from?
PoliticsJune 16, 2017
Demonstration von Rechtsextremisten in Karlsruhe-Durlach

A guide to Germany's far-right

Here's DW's guide to the main entities on Germany's far-right - from official political parties to fringe movements.
PoliticsJune 16, 2017
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#GermanyDecides: A look at the AfD in Dresden

Gauging the mood ahead of elections in the fall, DW begins its road trip through Germany in Dresden.
June 16, 201703:24 min