Thousands of demonstrators block anti-Islamic rally in Austria
Homa Lezgee
Press TV, Vienna
Up to 5,000 demonstrators turned up in the streets of Vienna on Monday in an attempt to block the first anti-Islamic rally by the PEGIDA movement in Austria.
Opponents of PEGIDA say the movement is only stirring up fear and that exclusion is not the solution to peaceful coexistence among world cultures and religions.Demonstrators expressed outrage over what they called the racist and fascist slogans of PEGIDA.
Around 12-hundred police officers were deployed to ensure security as marchers carrying Austrian flags and shouting “we are the people” faced off against protestors chanting “down with PEGIDA”.
PEGIDA or Patriotic Europeans Against Islamisation of the West was born in the German city of Dresden where it recently managed to draw thousands of demonstrators to the streets. The movement, however, has been facing setbacks with six of its leaders resigning within a week.
Austria’s far-right Freedom Party has supported PEGIDA as a serious civil rights movement but Catholic organizations and other political parties say the movement is made up of hooligans and right-wing extremists hoping to put a new label on their racist ideas.
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