Lutz Bachmann
Lutz Bachmann founded the group (PEGIDA) in late 2014 in Germany.
History
Bachmann is reportedly a chef-turned-graphic designer. According to The Independent he 'insists he is not a racist' but admits to having spent two years in prison and has criminal convictions for drug offences[1] and burglary[2].
A translation of a German press agency article on the counterjihad website Gates of Vienna states that Lutz admitted, in December 2014, to having fled to South Africa 17 years before to try to escape punishment. But he was deported to Germany after his true name and passport came to light.[3]
Starting PEGIDA
According to Der Spiegel, Lutz claims that PEGIDA grew out of a Facebook group which he stared after he witnessed a rally in Dresden by supporters of the Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) which opposes the Islamic State militants in Syria and Iraq. He decided to start a group primarily to oppose arms shipments to the PKK.[2]
Notes
- ↑ Lizzie Dearden, Germany anti-Islam protests: 17,000 march on Dresden against 'Islamification of the West', The Independent, 23 December 2014, accessed 5 Jan 2015
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 The End of Tolerance? Anti-Muslim Movement Rattles Germany, Spiegel Online International, 21 December 2014, accessed 5 January 2015
- ↑ Finding PEGIDA, Gates of Vienna, 27 December 2014, accessed 5 January 2015
