Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the West[1][6][3] (German: Patriotische Europäer gegen die Islamisierung des Abendlandes), abbreviated Pegida (German:[peˈɡiːda], stylised in its logo as PEGIDA), is a pan-European, anti-Islam, far-right extremist political movement.[7][8] German Pegida believes that Germany is being increasingly Islamicised.[9]
Pegida wants to curb immigration into Germany and it accuses the authorities of failure to enforce related laws.[10] Pegida has held many demonstrations, often accompanied by counter-demonstrations.[11] In 2015, Lutz Bachmann, the founder of Pegida, resigned from the movement after posing as Adolf Hitler and making racist statements on Facebook.[12] He was later reinstated.[13]
Though nationalism is a central feature, Pegida offshoots have formed in various countries. It is a grassroots part of the counter-jihad movement.[14]
^ abVirchow, Fabian (2016), "PEGIDA: Understanding the Emergence and Essence of Nativist Protest in Dresden", Journal of Intercultural Studies, 37 (6): 541–555, doi:10.1080/07256868.2016.1235026, S2CID151752919
Bayraklı, Enes; Farid Hafez (23 March 2016). European Islamophobia Report 2015. SETA. p. 56. ISBN978-605-4023-68-4. Although founded in neighbouring Germany, PEGIDA has gained some support in Belgium. Support for the far-right and Islamophobic organisation is more keenly seen in Dutch-speaking Flanders, than in francophone Wallonia and Brussels.
Margetts, Helen; John, Peter; Hale, Scott A.; Yasseri, Taha (2016). Political turbulence: how social media shape collective action. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press. p. 3. ISBN9780691159225. Some have seen the rise of far-right and anti-Islamist groups, as in Germany where protests by the Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the Occident (PEGIDA) have been attended by thousands, matched by a counter-movement of ...