What's going on there? This is the group whose director resigned after pictures of him in KKK and Hitler poses surfaced. It's basically Putin agitating in western Europe.

The protests are in Leipzig, Saxony, part of what was East Germany, and an area where there are few Muslims. It doesn't make sense that a grassroots protest is arising from an area like that.


Germany, Anti-Islam, and Vladimir Putin | Stephen Schwartz (Executive Director, Center for Islamic Pluralism)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/stephen-sc...46978.html Wrote:Why, then, are anti-Islam rallies taking place in a part of Germany where there are almost no Muslims? One explanation might be that having little experience with Muslims, the inhabitants of Dresden are frightened of any newcomers, especially refugees from Syria. "Many eastern Germans know only few or no foreigners; they are scared because they have no idea what to expect from the influx of refugees," said Dresden-based political scientist Werner Patzelt to the previously mentioned Rick Noack.

But other factors merit consideration. The Dresden anti-Islam demonstrations have included slogans decrying Chancellor Merkel's sharp attitude countering the aggressive machinations of Russian president Vladimir Putin in Ukraine and other former Communist countries, now independent.

Two photographs reproduced on The Huffington Post UK on December 9 showed signs from a PEGIDA mass meeting reading "Frieden mit Russland! Nie wieder Krieg in Europa!" ("Peace with Russia! Never again war in Europe!") and "Wollt ihr den totalen Russlandfeldzug?" ("Do you want a total war campaign against Russia?"). The latter included a rudely defaced photograph of Merkel as an American servant.

Writing for Bloomberg View on December 17, Leonid Bershidsky spelled out a disturbing context for the Dresden turmoil. He pointed out that the anti-immigrant National Front in France "has loudly bucked Europe's ongoing policy of ostracizing the Russian president, and has received millions of euros from Russia in return." Given the PEGIDA mix of anti-Islam and pro-Russian slogans, he stated, "Putin's strategy seems to be to build up a 'fifth column' of far-right parties in Europe willing to cooperate with the Kremlin."

Bershidsky, citing the authoritative German daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, noted that a seemingly bizarre slogan displayed at the PEGIDA turnout on December 15 was "Putin, hilfe uns!" ("Putin, help us!").

The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung itself published an image from the December 15 Dresden gathering of a placard reading "Weg mit der Kriegstreiber-Regierung! Deutschland RAUS aus der NATO!" ("Fight the warmongers' government! Germany OUT of NATO!").

Dresden and Saxony, like much of the rest of the former East Germany, remain influenced by Russia. Bershidsky referred to economic links, but political channels may be more significant. Vladimir Putin, serving as an officer of the former KGB, was headquartered in Dresden. It is certainly not beyond imagining that the Russians left networks behind them in Germany as "sleepers" after the Berlin Wall came down in 1989.

...

Many observers may see in PEGIDA no more than another example of the "new populism" in Europe. But an anti-Islam, pro-Russian alliance is dangerous for its advocates. Alignment of Russian ambitions and German discontent has been seen before: in the Stalin-Hitler pact of 1939, which allowed Germany to conquer most of Europe before turning on Russia. Germans should be wary about these issues.

Basically, Putin is funding them. Just like they fund Le Pen and Jobbik, and are rumored to be funnelling funds to UKIP. The Euroskeptic groups had an agenda that was worth a logical debate, but are largely now the land of unhinged racists, homophobes, and Anti Americans and are discredited. By the way larger protests have taken place in Dresden against the racists

(01-22-2015 11:39 AM)Tom in Lazybrook Wrote:  Basically, Putin is funding them. Just like they fund Le Pen and Jobbik, and are rumored to be funnelling funds to UKIP. The Euroskeptic groups had an agenda that was worth a logical debate, but are largely now the land of unhinged racists, homophobes, and Anti Americans and are discredited. By the way larger protests have taken place in Dresden against the racists

You forgot to add about the Family Research Council's involvement. I'm amazed you don't think they're somehow also behind all of this.

I'm not aware of FRCs involvement with these groups. Russia is most definitely involved.

Putin or not, just about everything the Euroskeptics predicted has panned out that way. I am a huge UKIP supporter and proponent of national sovereignty and Putin hasn't given me a dime.

(01-23-2015 01:39 PM)EverRespect Wrote:  Putin or not, just about everything the Euroskeptics predicted has panned out that way. I am a huge UKIP supporter and proponent of national sovereignty and Putin hasn't given me a dime.

I join you in this. Nigel Farage is simply one of todays greatest statesmen.

(01-23-2015 06:23 PM)Fo Shizzle Wrote:  

(01-23-2015 01:39 PM)EverRespect Wrote:  Putin or not, just about everything the Euroskeptics predicted has panned out that way. I am a huge UKIP supporter and proponent of national sovereignty and Putin hasn't given me a dime.

I join you in this. Nigel Farage is simply one of todays greatest statesmen.

Its turning the other way now. Given a choice between Brussels or home rule, and the people might choose home rule. If the choice is between Brussels and a mob of racist homophobes funded by Putin...and the choice is clear for the vast majority of Europeans...Brussels.

(01-23-2015 11:17 PM)Tom in Lazybrook Wrote:  

(01-23-2015 06:23 PM)Fo Shizzle Wrote:  

(01-23-2015 01:39 PM)EverRespect Wrote:  Putin or not, just about everything the Euroskeptics predicted has panned out that way. I am a huge UKIP supporter and proponent of national sovereignty and Putin hasn't given me a dime.

I join you in this. Nigel Farage is simply one of todays greatest statesmen.

Its turning the other way now. Given a choice between Brussels or home rule, and the people might choose home rule. If the choice is between Brussels and a mob of racist homophobes funded by Putin...and the choice is clear for the vast majority of Europeans...Brussels.

Nigel Farage is a Putin puppet?

Link?

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