GERMANY: Protest against neo-Nazi march on mosque

Record ID: 738432

  • Title: GERMANY: Protest against neo-Nazi march on mosque
  • Date: 29th March 2010
  • Summary: DUISBURG, GERMANY (MARCH 28, 2010) (REUTERS) EXTERIORS OF "MERKEZ" MOSQUE IN WESTERN CITY OF DUISBURG TO WHERE EXTREME RIGHT-WING NPD PARTY LATER MARCHED, POLICE VAN PARKED OUTSIDE MOSQUE ROOF AND MINARET POLICE MOTORCYCLES ESCORTING COUNTER-DEMONSTRATORS HOLDING BANNERS VEILED WOMEN CARRYING BANNER "FOR COEXISTENCE OF ALL CULTURES" PLACARD READING "NAZIS OUT OF DUISB
  • Embargoed: 13th April 2010 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Germany
  • Country: Germany
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA9QZLXH0YGWHPP2CCWP8ZK7J0O
  • Story Text: Several thousand people in the industrial German city of Duisburg demonstrated peacefully on Sunday (March 28) against an extreme right-wing party's march on the country's largest mosque.
    Holding banners reading "Nazis out of Duisburg!" and addressing supporters of the far-right NDP party directly, the counter-demonstrators later gathered outside the city's "Merkez" mosque.
    Several of the protesters were women wearing veils.
    "We had two right-wing demonstrations with 150 participants each and several thousand counter-demonstrators who showed in an impressive manner what they think," Duisburg police spokesman Ramon van der Maat said.
    As he was speaking near the mosque, several counter-demonstrators sitting on the ground played guitar and the recorder.
    With state elections in Germany's most populous region of North Rhine-Westphalia just six weeks away, several political parties are finding different ways of trying to attract potential voters.
    German opposition leader of the Social Democrats (SPD), Sigmar Gabriel was excepted to join protesters demonstrating against the march on the "Merkez" mosque.
    Right-wing "pro NRW" group, which has previously organised anti-Islam events, had called for the protest march entitled "Christian west in Christian hands."
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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