MOSCOW, January 25 (Sputnik) – At least 1000 people have taken part in an anti-Americanization rally in the German city of Erfurt, the organizer of the protest action Pegada (Patriotische Europäer gegen die Amerikanisierung des Abendlandes – German for "Patriotic Europeans against the Americanization of the West") has announced.
"A successful and peaceful day is behind us all! Thank you wholeheartedly for over 1000 people who today together in Europe and around the world have made a big step in the direction of peace with us!" Pegada said in a message on its Facebook page Saturday.
"This day was the beginning of something incredibly large in Erfurt!" the group added.
#Pegada demonstration in Erfurt: Against the Americanization of the West — http://t.co/MFwi93v7Z6 pic.twitter.com/O9ozxAxwuX
— Panteres.com (@PanteresNEWS) January 24, 2015
Meanwhile, Der Spiegel reported Saturday that the rally also attracted Americanization supporters, who organized their own demonstration, attended by around 600 people.
Police said there were clashes between those who showed up for the Pegada rally and the opposing group, although it was difficult to say, which people belonged to which demonstration, according to Der Spiegel.
Aggressive Stimmung bei Pegada und Anti-Pegada-Demo in Erfurt http://t.co/8DrZIZEi10 via @NZZ (ima) pic.twitter.com/Tan3fRQpSt
— dpa (@dpa) January 24, 2015
Pegada's website says that the group supports religious tolerance and European unity and urges all Europeans to stand up against the root cause of all problems in Europe, which Pegada believes is the US administration.
