Lutz Bachmann

Lutz Bachmann (born 26 January 1973) is the founder[2][3] of the Pegida movement, a far-right German political organisation linked to the anti-Muslim counter-jihad ideology.[4][5]

Lutz Bachmann
Bachmann at a PEGIDA rally in Dresden, 23 March 2015
Born (1973-01-26) 26 January 1973
Dresden, East Germany
(now Germany)
NationalityGerman
Occupation
  • Chairman of Pegida
  • Businessman
Spouse(s)Vicky Bachmann
Children1[1]
Websitewww.pegida.de

History

Personal life

Born in 1973 in Dresden, East Germany,[6] Bachmann had a working-class upbringing.[7] Time reports that he is the son of a butcher.[7] He was a (trained)[6] chef and graphic designer,[8] and played professional soccer for teams in Dresden and Düsseldorf.[7] Bachmann has a criminal record for sixteen burglaries, dealing cocaine[9][10] and assault.[11] In 1998, after Bachmann had been sentenced to several years in prison, he fled to South Africa but was deported back to Germany.[6][7] According to Bachmann, during his time as a fugitive, he opened a nightclub in Cape Town which catered to black people.[7] This was not long after the end of apartheid, and Bachmann says, "It was scandalous. People were shouting at me, 'How can you do this as a German, as a white? How can you open a night club for blacks?'"[7] Bachmann says, "I became a refugee. But a refugee from German law".[7] Bachmann is the owner of a public relations and advertising company in Dresden[12][13] that he founded in 1992,[6] and has been a publicist for nightclubs.[9]

Pegida

Bachmann started Pegida in October 2014 to protest plans to add 14 refugee centres in Dresden, Germany.[3][10] Through Pegida he rallied the disparate forces of the German right against the "parallel societies" of Muslims in Europe.[7] Bachmann publicly renounces extremist violence of any kind and insists his enemy is not religion itself.[7] As a result of his involvement with Pegida he has been threatened with death and had to cancel a march in Dresden.[2][14][15] In mid-January 2015, Bachmann was hit with criticism after a photograph surfaced showing him with a mustache and hair style similar to Adolf Hitler.[16][17] According to Bachmann, it was an old photo that was meant as a joke.[16][17] After the photo sparked international outrage, Bachmann stepped down as de facto leader of Pegida.[18] According to Bachmann and Pegida co-founder Kathrin Oertel, Bachmann's resignation had nothing to do with the photo.[18] A few weeks later, Bachmann was reinstated as a co-leader following a vote. The Sächsische Zeitung later reported that the moustache was added after the photo was taken, with Bachmann asserting that it was a "forgery".[19]

Bachmann attempted to enter the United Kingdom in mid-March 2018, but was blocked and deported. An immigration official said the British authorities to refuse admission to individuals whose presence was "not conducive to the public good".[20]

Prosecution

In 2016, Bachmann was charged with incitement of racial hatred. The charges were laid after someone using a Facebook page with Lutz Bachmann's name called refugees "cattle," "scumbags," and "filth" in a Facebook post in 2014.[21] The first day of Bachmann's trial, which was originally planned on being split into three separate days, took place on 19 April 2016. Bachmann's lawyer, Katja Reichel, argued that there are hundreds of Facebook pages with the name Lutz Bachmann on Facebook, and that there was no reason to believe that the Lutz Bachmann being accused was the one who made these comments. State attorney Tobias Uhlemann has pointed out that nothing originating from the Internet would constitute evidence.[22] On 3 May 2016, Bachmann was convicted of "inciting racial hatred" and fined €9,600. Both the defense as well the prosecution were planning on appealing the ruling.[23] In October 2016, Lutz Bachmann moved to live in the south of the island of Tenerife (Spain) where he was declared persona non grata by the authorities of that island.[24][25]

Freiheitlich Direktdemokratische Volkspartei

Bachmann has set up the new party FDDV, Freiheitlich Direktdemokratische Volkspartei (Liberal Direct Democratic People's Party). The party was established on 13 June 2016.[26]

References
  1. Eichstädt, Sven (17 April 2016). "Bachmann macht sich über Strafprozess lustig". Die Welt. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
  2. Huggler, Justin (19 January 2015). "Germany's Pegida anti-Islam movement vows to continue protests in Berlin and Munich". The Daily Telegraph. Berlin. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
  3. Dorell, Oren (8 January 2015). "Paris attack heightens European tensions with Muslims". USA Today. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
  4. Önnerfors, Andreas (30 March 2017). "Between Breivik and PEGIDA: the absence of ideologues and leaders on the contemporary European far right". Patterns of Prejudice. 51 (2): 159–175. doi:10.1080/0031322X.2017.1302642.
  5. "Pegida network". HOPE not hate. As traditional counter-jihad notions of Western civilization being under attack are central to Pegida’s rhetoric
  6. Pasquet, Yannick (12 January 2015). "The man behind Germany's anti-Islam street protests". Dresden. AFP. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
  7. Shuster, Simon (15 January 2015). "Meet the German Activist Leading the Movement Against 'Islamization'". Time. Dresden. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
  8. "Who goes to German Pegida 'anti-Islamisation' rallies?". BBC News. 13 January 2015. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
  9. Smale, Alison (7 December 2014). "In German City Rich With History and Tragedy, Tide Rises Against Immigration". The New York Times. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
  10. Kirschbaum, Erik (16 December 2014). "Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the West quickly gathering support in Germany". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
  11. Davidson, Amy (14 January 2015). "Germany's Strange New Right Wing Meets Charlie Hebdo". The New Yorker. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
  12. Obourn, Erin (15 January 2015). "PEGIDA: Who is behind Germany's growing anti-Islam campaign?". CBC News. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
  13. "German xenophobia: Peaceful, but menacing". The Economist. Berlin. 20 December 2014. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
  14. Torry, Harriet; Troianovski, Anton (19 January 2015). "German Lawmakers Slam Police Ban on Pegida Protest". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
  15. "German anti-Islam group vows that it won't be silenced; Copenhagen". Fox News. Dresden. Associated Press. 19 January 2015. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
  16. Rising, David (21 January 2015). "German anti-Islam leader in hot water over Hitler pose". Times Free Press. Frank Jordans. Berlin. Associated Press. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
  17. Huggler, Justin (21 January 2015). "Pegida leader pictured posing as Adolf Hitler". The Daily Telegraph. Berlin. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
  18. Gander, Kashmira (21 January 2015). "Pegida leader Lutz Bachmann steps down over Hitler photograph". The Independent. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
  19. Knight, Ben (23 February 2015). "Pegida head Lutz Bachmann reinstated after furore over Hitler moustache photo". The Guardian. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
  20. Oppenheim, Maya (18 March 2018). "Lutz Bachmann: Founder of far-right anti-Islam group Pegida barred from entry to UK and deported". The Independent. Archived from the original on 19 March 2018. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
  21. O'Grady, Siobhán (19 April 2016). "In Germany, Calling Refugees 'Scumbags, Filth, and Cattle' Can Land You in Court". Yahoo! News. Retrieved 20 April 2016.
  22. Knight, Ben (19 April 2016). "PEGIDA leader Lutz Bachmann denies xenophobic remarks". Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
  23. "German far-right Pegida founder Bachmann guilty of race charge". BBC. 3 May 2016.
  24. El líder islamófobo alemán Lutz Bachmann se instala en Tenerife
  25. Lutz Bachmann, “persona non grata” en Tenerife
  26. GmbH, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (2016-07-19). "Dresden: Pegida-Anhänger gründen offenbar eigene Partei". FAZ.NET (in German). Retrieved 2016-07-19.
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