Posted on 01/10/2016 3:33:31 PM PST by annalex
Police in the western German city of Cologne have broken up a protest by the "anti-Islamization" group PEGIDA. Water cannons were used to disperse demonstrators protesting after the New Year's Eve attacks on women.
Police on Saturday moved to disband the crowd of protesters in the inner city after bottles and crackers were thrown at officers.
DW reporter Dana Regev confirmed that water cannons were used amid clashes between anti-migration demonstrators and their opponents.
The North Rhine-Westphalian chapter of the anti-migration PEGIDA group and far-right organizations called the demonstration in the wake of a series of sexual assaults and robberies targeting women in the inner city of Cologne on New Year's Eve. Police said on Saturday they had received 379 complaints so far, with some 40 percent having to do with some form of sexual harassment.
Growing tensions in German society
Eyewitnesses said most of the offenders looked to be of North African or Arab origin. The incidents have fueled xenophobic sentiment in some quarters of German society, as the country struggles to cope with a huge influx of refugees and migrants, most of them coming from the Middle East and Africa.
The demonstrators protesting against Germany's current refugee policies, who numbered some 1,700 people according to police estimates, were confronted by an estimated 1,300 counter-demonstrators, who also gathered near the train station.
More than 2,000 state and federal police were tasked with keeping the two groups apart.
Several PEGIDA supporters were ushered out of the area by police after the protest was dispersed, according to Dana Regev.
There were reports of several arrests, and a number of people were injured, including with cuts to their faces, according to DPA news agency.
Police said three officers and a reporter were injured in clashes with the PEGIDA supporters.
Police said half of those attending the PEGIDA rally were football hooligans and right-wing extremists. A spokeswoman said some of the hooligans were known to police and came from the eastern city of Dresden.
Dresden is the center of PEGIDA's activities.
Flash mob for women's rights
Earlier in the day, several hundred women gathered in front of the cathedral in Cologne, situated near the central train station where the attacks mostly took place, to protest against violence to women.
They carried banners bearing slogans such as "No means no. That is our law. Keep off us," according to a reporter from AFP news agency.
The flash mob was called by women's groups on the Internet.
Some 1,000 people also demonstrated against both racism and sexism, with speakers warning against exploiting the New Year's Eve attacks to fuel xenophobic sentiment.
Police have come under heavy criticism for the way they handled the events on the night of December 31 from Germany's interior minister, Thomas de Maiziere. The police chief in Cologne, Wolfgang Albers, has been sent into provisional retirement amid allegations that he deliberately withheld information on the assaults.
tj/rc, gsw (AFP, Reuters, dpa)
Where were they New Years Eve? The police are there to stop free speech and not protect Germans.
How dare you protest our invaders who rape our women.
If you want to be on this right wing, monarchy, paleolibertarianism and nationalism ping list, but are not, please let me know. If you are on it and want to be off, also let me know. This ping list is not used for Catholic-Protestant debates.
Be brown and rape women — no police around.
Be white and protest the rape of women — police everywhere.
How much more upside down can this world get?
The demonstrators protesting against Germany's current refugee policies, who numbered some 1,700 people according to police estimates, were confronted by an estimated 1,300 counter-demonstrators, who also gathered near the train station.More than 2,000 state and federal police were tasked with keeping the two groups apart.
Astonishing numbers. 2,000 police, armed, in SWAT outfits, with water cannons, against 1,700 protesters.
To your point: It is rather clear that police is there simply to enforce the government immigration policy.
Interesting. Flags from the days of the Kaisers. A German resistance flag.
http://www.loeser.us/flags/german2.html
The water canons were needed on New Years Eve. Merkle is doing everything in her power to push the people beyond their limits.
there are still people protesting for the refugees, sorry rapists in their country!!! They’re insane. Women have been raped, men attacked, people robbed by these scumbags and there are still Germans who defend this crap!!!! WOW.
Submit to your secular totalitarians bringing in their foreign totalitarians to invade your homeland, rape your women and disrespect your culture. All of this brought about by their American counterparts Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.
What say you Hillaryous Rotten Criminal about rapes of women in you’re o peon cities? Perhaps Bill would like to chime in on your coronation tour.
AFP is FUBAR ALERT!
Yes, looks like the Imperial War Ensign 1903-1919 and German Naval Jack 1903-1919. Appropriate for the occasion.
Thanks.
The leader of the Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the Occident (PEGIDA) street protest movement is facing prosecution for wearing a t-shirt reading, “Rapefugees not welcome” – the slogan of the 4000-strong march in Cologne this weekend.
Following the news of the mass migrant rape scandal that has gripped Europe, Lutz Bachmann and his PEGIDA movement organised the “Rapefugees Not Welcome” protest this Saturday in Cologne, stressing the importance of Western culture and the freedom and protection of women.
But while the political establishment took four days to start getting to the bottom of the New Year’s Eve sexual assault orgy, they have wasted no time pursuing Mr. Bachmann for wearing a t-shirt that opposes rape by migrants.
The Leipziger Volkszeitung newspaper has reported that Mr. Bachmann – who is no stranger to controversy – is being pursued by Green Party politician and lawyer Jurgen Kasek, who has called the t-shirt “sedition”.
Mr. Kasek, speaking after he saw a picture of Mr. Bachmann wearing the t-shirt on Facebook (above) said: “That’s not a satire. That is sedition “, and has filed a complaint with Dresden’s prosecutor.
The t-shirt has the same motif as the banners carried at yesterday’s PEGIDA march – a woman pursued by armed men. Mr. Kasek has argued: “That’s just an excuse to incite hatred.”
Mr. Bachmann has been the target of a widespread delegitimisation effort ever since PEGIDA came to the fore in 2014. He was forced to resign the group’s leadership after pictures of him dressed as Adolf Hitler were disseminated online. He was reinstated after it became clear to PEGIDA’s leadership that the pictures had be doctored.
Up to 4000 people demonstrated with PEGIDA in Cologne yesterday. The street movement has strict rules about behaviour, but protest was derailed by some “HOGESA” (Hooligans Against Sharia) members who became aggressive and unwieldy, forcing the police to deploy water cannon on the streets to control the situation.
Anti-Islamisation PEGIDA Leader Pursued By Political Establishment For Anti-Rape T-Shirt
They are going to have to do more than march in the streets it would seem.
I won’t say any more, I’d probably get banned, I’d certainly deserve it.
Time for another Beer Hall Putsch.
When they come here raping, robbing, and killing, the American police, after all is said and done, will do as they are told. And they will be told to protect the muslims.
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Say whut!
They carried banners bearing slogans such as “No means no. That is our law. Keep off us,” according to a reporter from AFP news agency.
Yeah, that will work...
Seems like German government wants to promote Sharia law.
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