Dutch populist Wilders draws crowd of 10,000 at PEGIDA rally

DRESDEN, Germany (AP) – Some 10,000 people took part in an anti-Islam rally in eastern Germany where the main speakers was Dutch populist politician Geert Wilders.

The group Patriotic Europeans against the Islamization of the West, known by its German acronym PEGIDA, had predicted a crowd of 30,000 would show up for the weekly event in Dresden.

PEGIDA’s recent protests have all fallen far short the 25,000 people the group mobilized in January, prompting concern at the time that anti-foreigner sentiment might be gaining mainstream appeal again in Germany.

Police said some 2,500 people took part in a counter-protest organized by an alliance of groups calling itself “Dresden free of Nazis.” A court had banned the counter-protest from getting within sight or earshot of PEGIDA, citing the group’s right to freedom of speech.

PEGIDA plans to participate in Dresden’s mayoral vote in June, the first time the group will take part in an election. Early polls show its candidate trailing behind those put forward by the main political parties.