Germany’s Anti-Immigration Protests Growing

A record 15,000 protesters marched in Dresden, Germany, on the evening of December 15 to demonstrate against Islam.

The marchers protested the government’s stance on immigration. This is an issue many Germans are concerned about.

A poll for newsmagazine Spiegel shows that almost two thirds of Germans believe the government is not doing enough to address concerns about immigration and asylum seekers. The poll also found that 34 percent think Germany is undergoing a process of “Islamization.”

The number of asylum seekers in Germany has surged. More than 150,000 people sought refuge during the first 11 months of the year. This is an extra 40,000 people over 2013.

A group called “Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamization of the West,” or pegida, has staged weekly rallies in Dresden for nine weeks in a row. Its first rally attracted 200 supporters, but it has grown to 15,000 with the help of social media.

And there are signs that the protests are growing mainstream. Media sources have referred to the protesters as “pinstripes,” a reference to the number of demonstrators wearing suits.

One protester criticized Muslims for demanding Germans adapt to their culture. He said, “It bothers me if I have to see a minaret in Germany, it bothers me a lot. In Turkey or Iraq it’s not imaginable, they would never be so tolerant.”

Continue to watch Germany’s sentiments toward Muslim immigration. The Trumpet expects those relations will get worse as ethnic Germans begin to push back. For a detailed analysis, read our article “Anti-Muslim Immigration Protests Sweep Across Germany.”