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| Pegida starting political party as authorities mull ban over extremism Pegida starting political party as authorities mull ban over extremism | |
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| Germany’s anti-Islamic, anti-immigrant Pegida movement has announced that it is seeking to found a political party but stressed it would not seek to draw votes from populist far-right group AfD. | Germany’s anti-Islamic, anti-immigrant Pegida movement has announced that it is seeking to found a political party but stressed it would not seek to draw votes from populist far-right group AfD. |
| The new grouping would be called the Popular Party for Freedom and Direct Democracy, or the FDDV by its German acronym, movement head Lutz Bachmann said at a meeting in Dresden, Pegida’s eastern stronghold. | The new grouping would be called the Popular Party for Freedom and Direct Democracy, or the FDDV by its German acronym, movement head Lutz Bachmann said at a meeting in Dresden, Pegida’s eastern stronghold. |
| Bachmann – convicted and fined in May for inciting racial hatred by branding refugees “cattle” and “scum” on social media – insisted he did not intend to stand for the leadership. | Bachmann – convicted and fined in May for inciting racial hatred by branding refugees “cattle” and “scum” on social media – insisted he did not intend to stand for the leadership. |
| The move to form a party comes with authorities mulling a ban for the original association which spawned Pegida over fears of growing extremism. | The move to form a party comes with authorities mulling a ban for the original association which spawned Pegida over fears of growing extremism. |
| Bachmann insisted the new party would not seek to overshadow the Alternative for Germany (AfD), which has polled at more than 10% support in recent months. | Bachmann insisted the new party would not seek to overshadow the Alternative for Germany (AfD), which has polled at more than 10% support in recent months. |
| The AfD was founded as a Eurosceptic protest party in 2013 but now mainly rails against Islam and Germany’s openness to refugees, which last year brought more than 1 million asylum seekers to Europe’s top economy. | The AfD was founded as a Eurosceptic protest party in 2013 but now mainly rails against Islam and Germany’s openness to refugees, which last year brought more than 1 million asylum seekers to Europe’s top economy. |
| “We shall support the AfD in the next elections (scheduled for 2017) and shall only field candidates in a limited number of constituencies,” Bachmann said. | “We shall support the AfD in the next elections (scheduled for 2017) and shall only field candidates in a limited number of constituencies,” Bachmann said. |
| He added that relations between the two far-right movements were mostly good and that “only together” could they serve their mutual cause. | He added that relations between the two far-right movements were mostly good and that “only together” could they serve their mutual cause. |
| Cracks in the AfD have emerged in recent months, with a leadership split deepening after a row over antisemitic comments by one of the party’s lawmakers, who labelled Holocaust deniers “dissidents”. | Cracks in the AfD have emerged in recent months, with a leadership split deepening after a row over antisemitic comments by one of the party’s lawmakers, who labelled Holocaust deniers “dissidents”. |
| There are also differences within the AfD on whether to embrace Pegida or keep the movement at arm’s length. | There are also differences within the AfD on whether to embrace Pegida or keep the movement at arm’s length. |