Pegida Leader Poses as Hitler, But It's Not What You Think

Photos of Lutz Bachmann posing as Adolf Hitler and a member of Ku Klux Klan were posted on his Facebook page.

MOSCOW, January 21 (Sputnik) – Lutz Bachmann, who heads the movement against the alleged Islamification of the West known as Pegida, posed as Adolf Hitler and a member of Ku Klux Klan, the Independent reports, citing Dresden Morgenpost.

The German newspaper said that photos of Bachmann were taken from his Facebook page. The picture depicting Pegida leader styled as Adolf Hitler was posted with a caption saying "He's back!". In another photo, he posed as a member of Ku Klux Klan, with a slogan "Three Ks a day keeps the minorities away" superimposed on the image.

Photo of Pegida leader styled as Adolf Hitler goes viral http://t.co/61h30iuRH2 pic.twitter.com/F7lawCAY4t

— The Guardian (@guardian) 21 января 2015

Bachmann deleted his Facebook profile after Dresden Morgenpost contacted him for the comment. However, he told the Bild daily that the piсture was a homage to comedian Christoph Maria Herbst, who voiced an audiobook of a satirical novel titled "He's Back".

Pegida holds weekly anti-Islam and anti-immigration rallies in Dresden, attracting as many as 25,000 people. PEGIDA’s official Facebook page has already garnered nearly 150,000 likes.

An Anti-Pegida movement has also been on the rise. Earlier in January, approximately 100,000 people joined demonstrations against the group held in cities across Germany.

The country’s authorities decried Pegida. Last week, German Chancellor Angela Merkel along with top officials and politicians took part in a rally for an 'open and tolerant' Germany to send a strong message against anti-Islam sentiment on the rise in the country.