1/22/2015
BERLIN – Lutz Bachmann, the head of the extreme right-wing group Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamization of the West (Pegida), resigned as party head Wednesday after posting a picture of himself made up to look like Adolf Hitler on Facebook.
“My sincerest apologies” was how Bachmann began the statement in which he regretted any damage he may have caused to the movement by posing as Hitler after a session at the hairdresser’s from which he emerged complete with Hitler hairstyle and Hitler moustache.
The pictures were splashed on the front page of the popular daily “Bild.”
At the same time, the state prosecutor’s office said it would open a probe into possible charges of incitement to violence for remarks allegedly made by Bachmann over the social networks in which in which he purportedly describes immigrants as “cattle” and “garbage” and “lowlife.”
That was a bit over the top even for Pegida spokesperson Kathrin Oertel, who said that words of that sort do not form part of her political vocabulary and that Pegida does not endorse the kind of things they are suggesting.
However, she thanked Bachmann for his work in establishing Pegida as a mass social movement and attracting thousands of supporters to the cause and insisted the Hitler photos were intended as a satirical publicity stunt for a parody novel about Hitler’s return to 21st century Germany.
Bachmann’s departure from the leadership was announced shortly before the anti-Islamic group was set to hold a march in the eastern German city of Leipzig.
Pegida’s regular weekly protest in the nearby city of Leipzig was banned by police after death threats against Bachmann were received.
source
BERLIN – Lutz Bachmann, the head of the extreme right-wing group Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamization of the West (Pegida), resigned as party head Wednesday after posting a picture of himself made up to look like Adolf Hitler on Facebook.“My sincerest apologies” was how Bachmann began the statement in which he regretted any damage he may have caused to the movement by posing as Hitler after a session at the hairdresser’s from which he emerged complete with Hitler hairstyle and Hitler moustache.
The pictures were splashed on the front page of the popular daily “Bild.”
At the same time, the state prosecutor’s office said it would open a probe into possible charges of incitement to violence for remarks allegedly made by Bachmann over the social networks in which in which he purportedly describes immigrants as “cattle” and “garbage” and “lowlife.”
That was a bit over the top even for Pegida spokesperson Kathrin Oertel, who said that words of that sort do not form part of her political vocabulary and that Pegida does not endorse the kind of things they are suggesting.
However, she thanked Bachmann for his work in establishing Pegida as a mass social movement and attracting thousands of supporters to the cause and insisted the Hitler photos were intended as a satirical publicity stunt for a parody novel about Hitler’s return to 21st century Germany.
Bachmann’s departure from the leadership was announced shortly before the anti-Islamic group was set to hold a march in the eastern German city of Leipzig.
Pegida’s regular weekly protest in the nearby city of Leipzig was banned by police after death threats against Bachmann were received.
source
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