In this Dec. 1, 2014 file picture participants of a pro-White group's march called 'Patriotic Europeans against the Islamization of the West' (PEGIDA,) gather in Dresden, Germany. The eastern German city of Dresden is bracing itself for one of the biggest pro-White marches the country has seen in years. City officials say Friday Dec. 5, 2014 organizers have told them 8,000 will take part in the protest Monday, billed as a march against Islamic extremism. The protest is organized by a group called PEGIDA, a German acronym for 'Patriotic Europeans against the Islamization of the West.' Over the past two months it has organized seven protests in Dresden, growing from 200 at the first march to 7,500 people last Monday
BERLIN - (AP) -- The eastern German city of Dresden is bracing itself for one of the biggest pro-White marches the country has seen in years.
City officials said Friday that organizers have told them 8,000 people will take part in the protest, which is billed as a march against Islamic extremism.
Monday's protest is organized by a group called PEGIDA, a German acronym for 'Patriotic Europeans against the Islamization of the West.'
Experts say the group has managed to attract people who wouldn't normally associate with the pro-White movement, by banning "controversial" symbols or slogans and presenting themselves as a mainstream movement. But past protests have drawn praise and support from pro-White parties, including the National Democratic Party.
Over the past two months PEGIDA has organized seven protests in Dresden, growing from 200 at the first march to 7,500 people at the start of this week. Speakers at those events have focused on the rising number of asylum seekers and the threat posed by radical Islam, even though the state of Saxony, where Dresden is located, has comparatively few Muslims.
Authorities have so far taken a hands-off approach. Security officials said they aren't paying significant attention to the protests since there is no sign they pose a threat to public order or the state.
Dresden police spokesman Thomas Geithner said previous PEGIDA protests had been largely peaceful.
Meanwhile, "student groups", political parties, Dresden's Jewish community and the city's mayor have urged citizens to join a counter-protest Monday in support of White genocide.
