I had an interesting discussion with some Scandinavian friends about why PEGIDA started in Dresden in the former East Germany. You can see more veiled Muslim women within five minutes in Berlin, or in a Western German city such as Hamburg or Cologne, than you will probably see during an entire day in Dresden. Dresden is still a European city. So why did protests against Islamization start there?

The best explanation I can come up with is that the people of East Germany (DDR) had gone straight from national Socialism to international Socialism. They lived under various forms of totalitarianism for generations. For that reason, they recognize totalitarian thinking and propaganda when they see it. That is why they are now skeptical of Islam and the EU. A Czech lady I talked to who grew up under Communist rule supported this conclusion.

Unfortunately, not everybody learned the right lesson. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has denounced PEGIDA. She has stressed that “Islam is part of Germany,” vowed to defend Muslims and charged that PEGIDA’s leaders are motivated by “ prejudice, coldness, even hatred in their hearts.” Merkel grew up in the former Communist dictatorship of East Germany (DDR). Apparently, the main thing she learned there was to remain loyal to the ruling ideology: Communism promoted by the Soviet Union, or Multiculturalism promoted by the European Union. …

The PEGIDA rallies constitute some of the largest political demonstrations in Germany since the fall of the Berlin Wall. Since they directly challenge the political ruling class and their ideology, it was likely that the ruling elites would use all available tricks to silence them.

A few days later, it was announced that the weekly PEGIDA rally scheduled for January 19 was cancelled by the Dresden police. The police stated that they had credible evidence indicating that the rally and its leaders would be targeted by Jihadist terrorists, possibly with links to the Islamic State (ISIS). A spokesperson said that despite the threats, PEGIDA plans to continue in Dresden in the future.

It is quite possible that this terror warning was genuine. If so, it is deeply alarming that Islamic terrorists now seem to have gained a veto over what Western citizens can or cannot do in their own countries. A rally against Islamization was cancelled due to Islamization.

What is particularly ironic and worrisome, however, is that Islamic Jihadist terrorists seem to be allies of Western political elites and mass media. The German government, including Chancellor Merkel and the Minister of Justice, denounced PEGIDA. Islamic terrorists managed to get a PEGIDA demo cancelled.

The ruling elites in much of Europe openly embrace the continued expansion of Islamic culture in their societies and denounce those who criticize Islamization. This it not a conspiracy theory. It is not even a theory. It is merely an observation.