Lutz Bachmann

Lutz Bachmann

Lutz Bachmann at a PEGIDA rally in Dresden, 23 March 2015
Born (1973-01-26) January 26, 1973
Dresden, East Germany
Residence Dresden, Germany
Nationality German
Occupation
  • Chairman of PEGIDA
  • Businessman
Spouse(s) Vicky Bachmann
Children He has one son.[1]
Website www.pegida.de

Lutz Bachmann (born 26 January 1973) is the founder[2][3] of the anti-Islam organisation PEGIDA.[4][5][6] Bachmann resigned from his role at Pegida after a photograph of him with a toothbrush moustache was printed in the media, a picture he months later claimed had been partially doctored.[4][7] Bachmann stated that the picture was a forgery and that he had momentarily stepped down pending the outcome of the investigation, and has been fully reinstated as chairman of the organization.[8]

Personal life

Born in 1973 in Dresden, East Germany,[9] Bachmann had a working class upbringing.[10] He is the son of a butcher.[10] He was a (trained)[9] chef and graphic designer,[11] and played professional soccer for teams in Dresden and Düsseldorf.[10] Bachmann has a criminal record for sixteen burglaries, drunk driving, dealing cocaine[12][13] and assault.[14] In 1998, after Bachmann had been sentenced to several years in prison, he fled to South Africa but was deported back to Germany.[9][10] According to Bachmann, during his time as a fugitive, he opened a nightclub in Cape Town.[10] Bachmann is the owner of a public relations and advertising company in Dresden[15][16] that he founded in 1992,[9] and has been a publicist for nightclubs.[12]

Pegida

Bachmann started Pegida in October 2014 to protest plans to add 14 refugee centres in Dresden, Germany.[3][13] Through Pegida he rallied the disparate forces of the German right against the "parallel societies" of Muslims in Europe.[10] Bachmann publicly renounces extremist violence of any kind and insists his enemy is not religion itself.[10] As a result of his involvement with Pegida he has been threatened with death and had to cancel a march in Dresden.[2][17][18] In mid-January 2015, Bachmann was hit with criticism after a now-discredited picture surfaced showing him with a mustache and hair style similar to Adolf Hitler.[19][20] According to Bachmann, it was an old photo that was meant as a joke.[19][20] After the photo had sparked international outrage, Bachmann stepped down as de facto leader of Pegida.[21] According to Bachmann and Pegida co-founder Kathrin Oertel, Bachmann's resignation had nothing to do with the photo.[21] A few weeks later, Bachmann was reinstated as a co-leader following a vote. The Sächsische Zeitung later discovered the picture to be a forgery, reporting that a moustache was added after the photo was taken.[8]

Prosecution for incitement of racial hatred

In 2016 Bachmann was charged with incitment of racial hatred. The charges stem from his Facebook posts in 2014 in which he allegedly called refugees "cattle," "scumbags," and "filth."[22] The first day of Bachmann's trial, which is split into three separate days, took place on April 19, 2016.[23] The second day, May 3, the prosecution announced it was pushing for a €9,600 fine and seven months behind bars, but the ruling is not yet final.[24] May 10 was expected to be the third and final day of the trial. He was on probation for a previous offense when he made his comments, so that has been weighing in against him.[23] He was on probation until February 2015.[25]

In May 2016, Bachmann was convicted of "inciting racial hatred" and fined €9,600[26]

References

  1. ↑ Eichstädt, Sven (17 April 2016). "Bachmann macht sich über Strafprozess lustig". Die Welt. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
  2. 1 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. 1 2 Dorell, Oren (8 January 2015). "Paris attack heightens European tensions with Muslims". USA Today. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
  4. 1 2 "German PEGIDA leader Lutz Bachmann investigated after Adolf Hitler pose". Mail Online. 21 January 2015.
  5. ↑ Reuters Editorial (6 February 2016). "Anti-Islam movement PEGIDA stages protests across Europe". Reuters.
  6. ↑ Stuttaford, Andrew (13 January 2015). "A Stroll in The Dark". National Review. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
  7. ↑ "German Anti-Immigrant Figure Quits Post After Posing as Hitler". The New York Times. 22 January 2015.
  8. 1 2 Knight, Ben (23 February 2015). "Pegida head Lutz Bachmann reinstated after furore over Hitler moustache photo". The Guardian. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
  9. 1 2 3 4 Pasquet, Yannick (12 January 2015). "The man behind Germany's anti-Islam street protests". Dresden. AFP. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Shuster, Simon (15 January 2015). "Meet the German Activist Leading the Movement Against 'Islamization'". Time (Dresden). Retrieved 21 January 2015.
  11. ↑ "Who goes to German Pegida 'anti-Islamisation' rallies?". BBC News. 13 January 2015. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
  12. 1 2 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.
  13. 1 2 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.
  14. ↑ Davidson, Amy (14 January 2015). "Germany's Strange New Right Wing Meets Charlie Hebdo". The New Yorker. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
  15. ↑ Obourn, Erin (15 January 2015). "PEGIDA: Who is behind Germany's growing anti-Islam campaign?". CBC News. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
  16. ↑ "German xenophobia: Peaceful, but menacing". The Economist (Berlin). 20 December 2014. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
  17. ↑ Torry, Harriet; Troianovski, Anton (19 January 2015). "German Lawmakers Slam Police Ban on Pegida Protest". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
  18. ↑ "German anti-Islam group vows that it won't be silenced; Copenhagen". Fox News (Dresden). Associated Press. 19 January 2015. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
  19. 1 2 Rising, David (21 January 2015). "German anti-Islam leader in hot water over Hitler pose". Philadelphia Media Network. Frank Jordans (Berlin). Associated Press. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
  20. 1 2 Huggler, Justin (21 January 2015). "Pegida leader pictured posing as Adolf Hitler". The Daily Telegraph (Berlin). Retrieved 21 January 2015.
  21. 1 2 Gander, Kashmira (21 January 2015). "Pegida leader Lutz Bachmann steps down over Hitler photograph". The Independent. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
  22. ↑ 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.
  23. 1 2 Knight, Ben (19 April 2016). "PEGIDA leader Lutz Bachmann denies xenophobic remarks". Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
  24. ↑ "Pegida-Gründer: Lutz Bachmann wegen Volksverhetzung zu Geldstrafe verurteilt". Der Spiegel. 3 May 2016. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
  25. ↑ "Wortführer und Wutbürger". Süddeutsche Zeitung. 10 December 2014. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
  26. ↑ http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-36199739

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