PEGIDA wants Muslims, refugees in Nazi camps
The German far-right anti-Islam movement PEGIDA has come under investigation after one of its speakers suggested that the country must reopen Nazi-era concentration camps and house Muslims and refugees there.
"We are investigating the case on suspicion of incitement to hatred," Lawrence Haase, the state prosecutor for the eastern Germany city of Dresden, said on Tuesday, the DPA reported. "We are checking the criminal relevance," he noted.
The probe was launched a day after the city hosted a thousands-strong rally marking the first anniversary of the movement’s establishment, where German-Turkish writer Akif Pirincci told the crowd, "Of course, there are other alternatives, but the concentration camps are unfortunately out of service."
The movement’s founder Lutz Bachmann later apologized for Pirincci's remarks on his Facebook page, attempting to deflect the wave of strong reactions sparked by the comments.
This is not the first time the movement has been hit by a scandal.
Back in January, Bachmann quit as the group’s leader following public outrage over the emergence of a picture of him posing as Adolf Hitler.
PEGIDA is a German acronym which stands for the “Patriotic Europeans against the Islamization of the West.”
Wooing supporters for its anti-Muslim and anti-asylum-seeker agenda, PEGIDA began to launch rallies last October and managed to attract thousands of supporters across the country.
The scandals and other sources of infamy prompted a mass resignation by its leaders, which caused the group to almost disappear from the German political arena earlier this year.
It has, however, staged a comeback as the country faces an influx of refugees fleeing conflicts in different parts of the world.
UN official urges Egypt to seize Israel-bound arms ship MV Kathrin
Iran summons German ambassador over interference by Berlin
German passport doesn’t provide impunity to anyone: Iran FM
Hamas open to any proposal aiming to end Gaza war: Hamdan
Role of private sector in Iran’s thriving space industry
Four Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes on West Bank
Iran warns of ‘calculated, precise’ response to Israeli aggression
After year-long genocide, Israeli military hires private firms to flatten buildings in Gaza
Malaysia working on resolution to expel Israel from United Nations
Israeli military made no territorial gain in Lebanon: Report
VIDEO | 70 Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes across Gaza Strip
PressTV NEWSLETTER
now
This makes it easy to access the Press TV website
