Islamic State threat slams brakes on anti-Muslim rally

John Bacon | USA TODAY

A German anti-Islamization group called off a rally planned for Monday in Dresden, citing a threat from Islamic State militants.

PEGIDA, or Patriotic Europeans against the Islamization of the West, holds weekly rallies across Germany. The largest crowds have gathered in Dresden, where more than 25,000 people filled the streets Monday.

"PEGIDA Germany has had to cancel a rally in Dresden due to extreme Islamic group ISIS issuing a fatwa — death threats to all the organizers of PEGIDA," the group's United Kingdom branch said Sunday on its Facebook page. "All other PEGIDA rallies in 10 cities in Germany will be held as planned."

The weekly rallies began in Dresden in October as modest, virtually unnoticed protests. But the PEGIDA movement began to gain traction after this month's attacks in Paris at the satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo and at a kosher supermarket. Still, in some cities counter-demonstrators expressing support for Muslims have outnumbered PEGIDA supporters.

More than 400,000 people have signed an anti-PEGIDA online petition. German Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke last Monday against the group, while her Cabinet ministers and allies appealed for the group to cancel the marches.

"Islam belongs to Germany," Merkel said.

Germany, with a population of 80 million, is home to about 4 million Muslims. PEGIDA firmly denies it is racist, saying on its Facebook page that it stands for "a reasonable immigration law" and has nothing against the Muslims who live in Germany and have "integrated."

Dresden police issued a statement saying they had received "concrete" information of a threat against the Dresden rally.

"Assassins have been called up to mingle among the PEGIDA protesters and murder one of the individuals leading the rally," the statement said.

Contributing: Angela Waters