World
October 21, 2024 00:20
dresden - After the success of the far-right AfD in recent elections, anti-migration movement Pegida concludes its activities in Germany.
Anti-migration movement Pegida, known for its 250 demonstrations, has decided to end its activities in Germany following the electoral victory of the far-right AfD. Thousands of pro-Russian supporters gathered in the Saxon capital Dresden under a bright sunny sky. The movement's leader, convicted drug dealer and former burglar Lutz Bachmann, stated, 'We are not entering politics, I am a street fighter.'
Amidst a boisterous leftist crowd shouting 'Saxony is colorful, not brown', Bachmann amusedly inquired, 'Do we want our flag to be black-red-gold or rainbow-colored?'. The movement's gatherings were filled with Russian, Hungarian, and regional Saxon flags, as well as the blue peace dove, with Pegida calling for no German weapons to be sent to Ukraine.
The main guest at the event was former Vice Chancellor of Austria, Heinz-Christian Strache. His far-right party, the FPÖ, recently won elections. Strache commended Pegida for its stance against Islamization, attributing the success of AfD to the movement. He stated, 'Europe is waking up, and Pegida made AfD's success possible. I have great respect for that'. Strache, a former neo-Nazi, was forced to resign in the wake of the Ibiza scandal in Austria when he was caught on tape attempting to sell his country to wealthy Russians.
The crowd chanted 'We are the people', reminiscent of the democratic revolution in 1989 against the communist leadership in the former GDR. Strache criticized the exclusion of his Austrian FPÖ party and the German AfD by the mainstream party establishment, referring to them as 'system parties'. In Thuringia, no one wants to form a coalition with AfD leader and former teacher Björn Höcke, who has a history of far-right affiliations.
Right-wing radicals were present throughout Dresden, with individuals displaying symbols associated with Hitler's regime. A young girl in a Lonsdale T-shirt bore the NSDA letters, a coded reference to Hitler's National Socialist German Workers' Party. Shaved-headed young men sported the skewed numbers 44 on their chests, a nod to Hitler's SS.
A barrier of long German flags, barricades, and a heavy police presence separated them from a noisy left-wing counter-demonstration at the Frauenkirche. Both sides engaged in shouting matches, with the leftists declaring 'Together against fascism' and denouncing Pegida as 'racist and xenophobic'. Finger-pointing, masked faces, and muffles accompanied the clashes.
'Pegida has run its course,' muttered a long-time supporter. 'People are no longer interested because they are doing well. However, they feel powerless due to the numerous deadly stabbing incidents involving asylum seekers,' expressed engineer Martin Schotte (60), who had marched with Pegida a hundred times. 'The AfD and Wilders are strong, but for the average person, not much changes.'
'Bachmann is a traitor, no longer a soldier,' judged Schotte. 'He lives on the Canary Islands, having fled German justice.' Despite this, he has numerous supporters, including those from the dissident movement in the former GDR. Angelika Barbe, a former member of the leftist ruling party, criticized the Social Democrats for attempting to redefine the populace by appealing to new immigrant voters. She opposes accelerated integration.
AfD faction leader from Brandenburg, Christoph Bernd, called for an end to 'self-hatred and self-denial disease,' advocating for the normalization of patriotism within the populace. His far-right opposition party aims to remove the stigma from German nationalism and not shy away from discussing Hitler's national socialism.
As the drums sounded, the procession paraded through Dresden. A man wearing Lederhosen and a brown Bavarian jacket carried the lengthy Reich war flag, utilized during World War II.