BERLIN: A record 17,000 anti-Islamic protesters rallied on Monday in eastern Germany, celebrating the rise of their far-right populist movement by singing Christmas carols.
Germany has for weeks grappled with the emergence of the “Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the Occident” or PEGIDA, whose ranks in the city of Dresden have swelled rapidly.
But a powerful German business leader slammed the growing anti-Islam movement in the country saying Europe’s top economy needed more immigration to remain competitive and should take in more asylum seekers.
The president of the German Federation of Industry, Ulrich Grillo, said the emergence of the group “Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the Occident” or PEGIDA, which has been holding weekly marches, was undermining the country's interests and values.
“We have long been a land of immigration and we must remain so,” he told German news agency DPA. “As a prosperous country, and also out of Christian love for our fellow man, our country should take in more refugees.” Grillo blasted the PEGIDA protests, which organizers have billed as a grassroots movement, calling participants "neo-Nazis and xenophobes".
He said the group was trying to harness fears of Islamist terrorism “to smear a whole religion” which he called “unacceptable”.
Grillo's federation represents the political interests of more than 100,000 companies employing around eight million people. He said Germany's rapidly ageing population needed a strong influx of qualified newcomers to support the economy and the social welfare system.
“Considering our demographic development, immigration ensures growth and prosperity,” he said.
He urged political leaders to do more to stand up to PEGIDA.
On Monday night, about 4,500 counter-demonstrators marched through the city under the slogan "Dresden Nazi-free", warning that there was no space for racism and xenophobia in the country that perpetrated the Holocaust.
Most PEGIDA followers insist they are not Nazis but patriots who worry about the "watering down" of their Christian-rooted culture and traditions. They often accuse mainstream political parties of betraying them and the media of lying. Braving cold and wet weather, they gathered outside the historic Semperoper concert hall for their pre-Christmas recital. Police put their numbers at about 17,500, up from the previous high of 15,000 a week earlier.
The Protestant bishop of Saxony state, Jochen Bohl, said the PEGIDA followers, by singing Christmas carols, were seeking "to exploit a Christian symbol and a Christian tradition" for political purposes, German news agency DPA reported.
German business leader slams anti-Islam rallies
