Pegida rallies in Berlin: Germany takes to the streets

The “Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamization of the West" (or Pegida) have held protests throughout the country since back in October, and their rallies have gained both popularity and supporters over time. The group is canvassing against what it has started calling the ‘Islamisation’ of Europe.

The group has been condemned by senior German politicians, and it has also garnered counter- demonstrators, who favour a message of peace and tolerance. The Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel, has condemned the group, however the group seems to be gaining in popularity as time goes by.

A poll of just over 1000 people carried out by German magazine Stern revealed that a shocking one in eight Germans would join an anti-Islam march if Pegida organized one near their homes.

The organiser for Pegida, Kathrin Oertel, has said that the country has once again been plunged into an era of political repression: "Or how would you see it when we are insulted or called racists or Nazis openly by all the political mainstream parties and media for our justified criticism of Germany's asylum seeker policies and the non-existent immigration policy?"

The group is protesting against the fact that the country receives more asylum seekers and refugees than any other EU country.