Pegida Sverige
Pegida Sverige is the Swedish version of the anti-Islam movement PEGIDA which orginated in Dresden, Germany.
Contents
History
A facebook group for Sweden Pegida Sverige was set up in December 2014 and had over 5,000 'likes' by 7 January 2015. The administrators of the page also promoted a Scandinavia-wide Pegida page.[1]
Activities
Demonstration
It held its first protest on the evening of Monday 9 January 2015 in Stortorge, the central square in the city of Malmö, southern Sweden.
It drew a very poor turnout, with media estimates ranging between 30[2] and 200[3] protesters while organiser Rönnquist reportedly put the figure at 140.[2]
Ideology
The concerns of the group mixed anti-Islam and anti-immigration sentiment. The Swedish government has commitment to admitting 100,000 asylum seekers per year[4] and the reported aim of the protest was to call for tighter immigration restrictions. A spokesperson insisted 'It is not about racism, not about throwing immigrants out of the country…it is about our values, traditions'[3] but some Pegida supporters reportedly held signs calling for the deportation of supporters of 'Islamic State.'[4]
People
According to English language translations of Swedish press reports, the protest was organised through a closed Facebook group which attracted supporters of the far-right Sweden Democrats party and the counterjihad publication Dispatch International.[5]
Henrik Rönnquist was quoted in the press, pictured holding a mgeaphone at the demonstration and has generally been described as the leader of Pegida Sweriga. Some reports state that his associate Dan Park was a co-organiser.[5]
Opposition
A counter-demonstration which drew between 3,000[5] and 5,000[2] people vastly outnumbered the Pegida protest.
The demonstration came soon after three mosques in the country were targeted in separate incidents over the course of one week, in a string of suspected arson attacks, which had also prompted anti-racism campaigners to organise responsive demonstrations.[6]
People
- Henrik Rönnquist - leader[4]
- Dan Park - organiser[5]
Notes
- ↑ Facebook Pegida Scandinavia. Accessed 13 January 2015.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Anti-racists swamp first Pegida rally in Sweden, The Local, 10 February 2015, accessed 12 February 2015
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 PEGIDA holds its first rally in Sweden, EuroNews, 9 February 2015, accessed 12 February 2015
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Malcolm Brabant, Sweden 'doesn't need groups like PEGIDA', Deutsche Welle, 10 February 2015, accessed 12 February 2015
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Thousands gather to oppose Pegida demo, Radio Sweden, 9 February 2015
- ↑ Sweden protest after three mosque fires in one week, 2 January 2015
