On its Facebook page, PEGIDA says citizens should “wake from their slumber” and recognize the “danger in the Islamic ideology.” “Stop the radical Salfists’ Islamization,” it urges. “As a society, we should give people the chance to integrate, but we should not allow ourselves to be Islamized thereby losing our freedom and democracy!”
The group claims to have supporters in more than 30 German cities and 18 countries in Europe. A PEGIDA group in Norway has also called for demonstrators to gather outside the Town Hall in the capital, Oslo, to show support for the French and demonstrate opposition to what it calls the “Islamification of Norway.”
In Dresden, organizers have announced that Monday’s rally will commemorate the victims of last week’s attacks in Paris. Members of the movement are expected to wear black armbands.
Critics, however, say that protesters are taking advantage of the attacks to attract supporters and incite hatred against refugees and foreigners.
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In her New Year’s speech, Merkel addressed the issue of xenophobia, urging citizens not to attend such rallies. Such demonstrations encourage the exclusion of people because of their skin color or religion, she said.
Merkel urged people not to attend such demonstrations, where people have “hatred in their hearts,” she said.
“We know the value of unity in our country,” she said. “It is the foundation of our success.”
CNN’s Susannah Cullinane also contributed to this report.
