What do people have to protest about in Germany? Unemployment is relatively low, standards of living are high, working conditions are great, there's no gun violence and not much crime, the government is not corrupt; things are good here. Which is precisely why certain groups are protesting. They like the way things are and don't want "those people" to come and change them.
"Those people" are Muslim immigrants, and certain groups don't want them coming to take jobs, receive government benefits, and turn Germany into an Islamic state . The 15,000 Dresden marchers were led by a group called Pegida, translated as: Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamization of the West. They want Germany to allow fewer immigrants and asylees. If those immigrants are coming from Greece or Spain, it's ok. But if they come from Iran or Turkey or Syria, that's another story.
The scary thing about Pegida is that they are not skinheads, or Hell's Angels, or part of any heavily tattooed subculture. They are ostensibly normal people. Politician Thomas Oppermann called the group "Nazis in pinstripes." And the whole movement was organized on Facebook.
Germany's history with intolerance, racism and the far right makes it all the more scary.
 |
| Pegida in Dresden |
There was a similar march in Hannover in November. It was a demonstration against Salafism, which is a sect within Islam. In a twist of sports turned politics, the group leading the march emerged from rival clubs of hooligans, which are soccer super-fans. These people not only love their soccer teams, but they hate a lot of people who are different than them. Among the hooligans are right-wing extremists and neo-Nazis. The same group had protested in Cologne the week before, and that event turned violent. So Hannover was on guard. About 3000 protesters showed up, as did 6000 counter-protesters. There were 6600 police officers present, some in riot gear and some on horses.
 |
| Lots of police turned out for the Hannover demonstration |
Germans, even the most bigoted ones, have nothing to worry about. At this time of year, cashiers wish customers a happy Advent Sunday, Christmas trees and lights and candies are everywhere, and politically correct phrases like "season's greetings" barely exist. Germany is not at risk of being Islamicized at all.
I would guess that the Pegida demonstrators, in pinstripes or not, mostly have jobs, and all have a place to live and basic rights and enough food to eat. They may have gotten hungry on the way back from that march in Dresden. I wouldn't be surprised if some Pegida demonstrators stopped at the kebab shop for a Doner sandwich, that staple of Turkish-German fast food, on their way home.
No comments:
Post a Comment