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| Anti-Islam 'Pegida' march in German city of Dresden | |
| (about 11 hours later) | |
| About 10,000 people have taken part in a march against "Islamisation of the West" in the east German city of Dresden. | |
| A large counter-demonstration of more than 5,000 people was also held. No major incidents were reported. | |
| Dresden is the birthplace of a movement called "Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the West" (Pegida), which staged a big rally a week ago. | Dresden is the birthplace of a movement called "Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the West" (Pegida), which staged a big rally a week ago. |
| Chancellor Angela Merkel warned Germans not to be exploited by extremists. | |
| "There's freedom of assembly in Germany, but there's no place for incitement and lies about people who come to us from other countries,'' Mrs Merkel said in Berlin. | |
| "Everyone [who attends] needs to be careful that they are not taken advantage of by the people who organise such events." | |
| In Monday's march, protesters chanted Wir sind das volk (we are the people) - a rallying cry used in the city in the weeks before the fall of the Berlin Wall 25 years ago. | |
| One elderly man shouted: "I'm a pensioner. I only get a small pension but I have to pay for all these people (asylum seekers). No-one asked me!" | |
| A woman who travelled 80km (50 miles) for the demonstration told the BBC: "I am not right wing, I'm not a Nazi. I am just worried for my country, for my granddaughter." | |
| Earlier, Justice Minister Heiko Maas called Pegida's protests "a disgrace". But the Eurosceptic party Alternativ fuer Deutschland (AfD) is sympathetic. | |
| "Most of their demands are legitimate," said Bernd Lucke, leader of AfD, which has campaigned for a tougher policy on immigration, as well as rejection of the euro. | |
| In the western city of Cologne, about 15,000 people attended a demonstration on Sunday to promote tolerance and open-mindedness, under the motto: "You are Cologne - no Nazis here." | In the western city of Cologne, about 15,000 people attended a demonstration on Sunday to promote tolerance and open-mindedness, under the motto: "You are Cologne - no Nazis here." |
| At the scene: Jenny Hill, BBC News, Dresden | |
| Clutching German flags, candles and banners, thousands of people joined a demonstration ostensibly against the so-called Islamisation of Germany. | |
| "No sharia law in Europe!" proclaimed one banner. | |
| But it rapidly became clear that most here are protesting against high levels of immigration and asylum seekers. | |
| A few years ago such scenes would have been inconceivable in this country. Many in Germany are ashamed and horrified - not just by the numbers at this demonstration but by support for right wing groups elsewhere. | |
| What has startled politicians though is that many in the crowds at Dresden are not extremists or neo-Nazis. As conservative politician Wolfgang Bosbach puts it, these are concerned mothers, pensioners. | |
| The sheer numbers at recent demonstrations are forcing a public discussion around immigration. It's a debate with which many feel deeply uncomfortable. But it's a debate which many also say can no longer be ignored. | |
| Immigration has become a hot topic in Germany this year, amid a surge in the numbers of asylum seekers, fuelled by the wars in Syria and Iraq. Germany takes in more asylum seekers than any other country. | Immigration has become a hot topic in Germany this year, amid a surge in the numbers of asylum seekers, fuelled by the wars in Syria and Iraq. Germany takes in more asylum seekers than any other country. |
| Germany expects 200,000 asylum claims for 2014, up from 127,000 in 2013. | Germany expects 200,000 asylum claims for 2014, up from 127,000 in 2013. |
| German media report that Pegida grew out of a Facebook group launched by Lutz Bachmann, 41, a chef-turned-graphic designer. He insists that he is not racist. He has admitted to past criminal convictions, including for drug-dealing. He says he spent two years in prison. | German media report that Pegida grew out of a Facebook group launched by Lutz Bachmann, 41, a chef-turned-graphic designer. He insists that he is not racist. He has admitted to past criminal convictions, including for drug-dealing. He says he spent two years in prison. |
| The AfD leader in Dresden, Frauke Petry, said Pegida "is protesting against inadequate legislation on asylum rights - they are also demanding that German law be applied against law-breakers, and they are opposing religious extremism". | The AfD leader in Dresden, Frauke Petry, said Pegida "is protesting against inadequate legislation on asylum rights - they are also demanding that German law be applied against law-breakers, and they are opposing religious extremism". |
| The centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) - in the ruling coalition with Mrs Merkel's Christian Democrats - called Pegida's organisers "Nazis in pinstripes". | |
| Police sources, quoted by the Spiegel online news website, said hundreds of Pegida activists in Dresden were members of two hooligan groups regarded as far-right. | Police sources, quoted by the Spiegel online news website, said hundreds of Pegida activists in Dresden were members of two hooligan groups regarded as far-right. |
| Minister Maas said Pegida must be "unmasked", and he called for a "broad counter-movement embracing civil society and all political parties". | Minister Maas said Pegida must be "unmasked", and he called for a "broad counter-movement embracing civil society and all political parties". |