Germany's anti-Islam rally called off over thinning support

The anti-Islam PEGIDA movement in Germany has called off its weekly rally planned for Monday in the eastern city of Dresden following a spate of resignations by its top leaders amid an erosion of public support.

The Patriotic Europeans Against Islamisation of the West announced yesterday that its spokesperson Kathrin Oertel and several members of its management board have resigned on "organisational grounds".

Their resignation a week after its main leader and co-founder Lutz Bachmann laid down office is a severe blow to the organisation and leaves it without a leader.

However, PEGIDA said it was only "taking a break" next Monday and its protest rallies against the government's asylum policy and "islamisation of Germany" will be continued a week later.

Bachmann stepped down after a newspaper published photos showing him dressed as Adolf Hitler and his derogatory remarks about foreigners were posted on the internet.
The resignation of Bachmann, Oertel and other members of the management board "will not deter" the organisation from holding further demonstrations, PEGIDA said on its facebook site.

A new leadership will be put in place before February 9 and it will keep the organisation on its course, its statement said.

Oertel and her team stepped down in protest against Bachmann's attempts to remain in the organisation and to keep it under his control, several media reports said.
Some management board members were quoted as saying that Bachmann "is a Nazi" and they left the organisation because they do not want to be associated with his extremist views.

Media commentators said the en masse resignation of PEGIDA's leadership could mean the end of the movement, which was widely criticised for driving up hatred against foreigners, especially against the four million-strong Muslim population in the country.
Last week's anti-Islam demonstration in Dresden showed that the public support for PEGIDA was diminishing.

It attracted only around 17,000 people, around 8,000 people less than in the previous protest march and far less than around 30,000 people expected by its organisers.

In contrast, an anti-PEGIDA demonstration a day later combined with a concert for tolerance and unity was attended by more than 25,000 people, according to police estimates.

If the anti-Islam movement falls apart, it will be a great relief for government leaders, who have been urging the public not to join the demonstrations.

PEGIDA is breaking up and it is a salvation for Dresden, Economy Minister and Deputy Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel said in a TV interview yesterday.

"I believe that these demonstrations have reached their climax," he said.