Fear and loathing grows at grassroots

Germany’s anti-immigrant movement Pegida isn’t some sinister Russian plot. Instead, it is striking for the ordinariness of the people it attracts and must be taken seriously, writes Lucian Kim

Last week, when I attended my first rally in Dresden organised by Pegida, Germany’s mysterious “anti-Islamisation” movement, I was reminded of the aggressive pro-Russian protests that tore apart eastern Ukraine a year ago.

Thousands of demonstrators, most of whom refused to talk to the “lying press”, listened to fiery speeches railing against the country’s political class.