Police estimate that 10,000 took part in the demonstration which was organized by "Patriotic Europeans against the Islamization of the West" (PEGIDA), a group founded by former apolitical Dresdeners, Jacksonville news outlet reported.
PEGIDA's protest was met by a 9,000-strong counter-protest. Both protests were staged peacefully, the news outlet said.
The protesters rallied against what they perceive as the erosion of German culture and said they had nothing against Islam in itself. They are also concerned about possible abuse of the German asylum system, The Telegraph reported.
The demonstrators were shouting the familiar “Wir sind das Volk” and “We are the people”, protest cries heard in protests against the former East German regime, the London-based newspaper stated.
The Telegraph also pointed out the timing of the demonstrations; coming just as the ruling collation-party Christian Social Union (CSU) attempts to alienate itself from a leaked suggestion that immigrants use German at homes in addition to public places.
Meanwhile, according to Deutsche Welle, members of the PEGIDA have recently toned-down their protest slogans, trading the stark "Foreigners out!" for vague slogans such as "Against religious wars on German soil" and "For the preservation of our culture".
The PEGIDA protests are gradually spreading to the rest of Germany and attracting neo-Nazi elements, according to Jacksonville. Marches are reported to have taken place in other German cities, although the numbers have been lower than those seen in Dresden, where the movement originated. Around 600 people and another 450 gathered in Berlin and Dusseldorf respectively to take part in similar protests.
