Berlin : Thousands of people took to the streets of Berlin on Tuesday to say no to Islamophobia and anti-immigrant sentiment in the wake of last week’s attacks in Paris, news agencies reported.
“We stand together for a Germany that is open to the world, with a big heart, which honors freedom of opinion and religion,” said Aiman Mazyek, head of the German Council of Muslims, addressing the crowd.
The roster of speakers included Chancellor Angela Merkel, who declared: “To exclude groups of people because of their faith, this isn’t worthy of the free state in which we live. It is not compatible with our essential values. And it’s humanly reprehensible. Xenophobia, racism, and extremism have no place here.”
Media reports reveal that the number of people marching against PEGIDA nationwide vastly outnumbered the organization’s supporters.