Illustrative image of Germans carrying flags during rally in Dresden, December 15, 2014. (AP/Jens Meyer)
BERLIN, Germany (AFP) — A march by an emergent anti-Islamization group in the German city of Leipzig on Friday failed to drum up much support, with first estimates showing turnout at below 1,000.
Leipzig town hall said in “a prudent estimate” on Twitter that only around 900 protesters had turned out in comparison to the 15,000 who marched on January 21 in Leipzig behind the LEGIDA banner.
LEGIDA is an offshoot of the larger Dresden-based Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamization of Europe, known as PEGIDA, whose marches have also seen a sudden sharp drop in attendance, following the controversial resignation of its founder earlier this month.
Lutz Bachmann resigned after a picture of him looking like Hitler surfaced in the media.
A photo allegedly showing leader of the German PEGIDA anti-Islam movement Lutz Bachmann posing as Hitler. (screen capture: YouTube/Pasali News)
PEGIDA’s latest march in Dresden last Sunday gathered 17,000 people, well below a record attendance of 25,000 on January 12.
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