Comments:

1. 

    

   Allan Mahnke:

   Many thanks for this. We in the US were relieved when Lutz Bachmann self-destructed in such a spectacular manner. We know that we can’t assume this will always happen. We see similar (but obviously different) racism in this country and know that people like those in PEGIDA are everywhere. It was heartening to see the large counter-demonstrations (against PEGIDA).

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     Constanze:

     @Allan Mahnke Thanks for your comment, Allan. I feel the same. The one positive thing is, as you said, the huge numbers of anti-PEGIDA demonstrators across the world!

2. 

    

   MrSea:

   I am from the U.S. but with a strong German family background.I think Mr. Mahnke is being a bit presumptuous to say “we in the US”. He does not speak for all of us. Also, I feel his playing of the race card is out of place. Islamic people are not of a different race they are of a different religion. “Ich habe Angst vor Überfremdung”. This has nothing to do with race. It is about loss of culture and economic destruction. These people are pouring into Germany and signing up for every assistance program and free money handout that they can find. This is economically unsustainable.If, instead of Islamic peoples, Germany was suffering a major influx of, lets just say, Irish or Americans, there would be some form of PEGIDA to stand up and voice a warning. We call these people Patriots.

3. 

    

   Diana Wulf Langie:

   Like Mr. Mahnke and Mr.Sea, I too am from the USA. As is the case with Mr.Sea, my family also has a strong cultural heritage connection with Germany (I am 3rd generation German migrant). I am a member of the Wulf family, of the Gothic Wulf dynasty begun by the granddaughter of the mysterious historical figure Beowulf
   (the literary work “Beowulf,” an epic poem, is largely fictional. Strangely, while championing the foreign relations strategy of Beowulf the Goth as many did during his actual lifetime, the epic poem depicts Beowulf as fitting into a Herculean-warrior archetype. While the man himself did wield weapon every so often, he is famous among Gothic-Germanic peoples for his diplomatic skills.
   Examples include Beowulf’s visit to ancient Denmark, during which time he acted as an ambassador of Goths and prevented escalation of tension when Danes and Goths were on the verge of war by emphasizing the Nordic heritage shared by both Danes and Goths. He is also known for acting as a mediator between allied Gauls & Vandals and Catholic Rome, as well as for intervening diplomatically to reduce hostilities among Saxons, Britannic clans, Frankish Celts, Frisians and Jutes).
   The Wulf dynasty and subsequent Wulf aristocracy in what is today known as Germany caused Wulf ancestry to be meticulously documented for over a millennium (this cultural characteristic of the Gothic Wulfs is also found among Nordic peoples). I am directly descended from Beowulf the Goth, who was born in what is modern-day Germany. The recording and passing on of ancestral records through generations inevitably results in the learning of history.
   While “racism” certainly exists today, as Mr. Mahnke mentioned, the concept of “race” itself is, biologically speaking, nonexistent. I respectfully disagree with Mr.Sea in his assertion that Mr. Mahnke was, “playing the race card;” no “race card” is included in the deck from which our cards are dealt (though a “racist card” does), and thus, no “race card” can actually be played.
   Racism is based on any number of arbitrary demographic factors, including but not limited to country of origin, continent of origin, primary language, religion, first and/or surname, socioeconomic status, statelessness status, historically strained foreign affairs, skin tone, regional customs, and so on.
   Mr.Sea asserts that the influx of refugees in Germany is problematic because it will result in “loss of culture and economic destruction.” Mr.Sea also defines aforementioned refugees as being “of a different religion.” This raises questions in my mind:
   -If Muslim people are “of a different religion” (I presume this is meant to be relative to Germany), what religion is it from which those of Islamic faith are different?
   -German law is not based upon the laws of religious doctrine (in contrast, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the State of Israel are theocracies). Germany has no state-sponsored religion either, and its constitution guarantees religious freedom and protection from religious discrimination. Furthermore, a 2011 poll revealed that approximately 55% of German citizens are non-religious. Why would the religion of inbound refugees cause a “loss of culture and economic destruction,” or even be relevant at all?
   -Historically, in large part due to Germany’s physical geographic location at a crossroads of Slavic, Germanic, Baltic, and Romantic national cultures, German culture has been somewhat anomalous and difficult to define. The large population of immigrant citizens is acknowledged in Germany. Culturally speaking, Germany is known for its contributions to literature, art, and engineering. Why would these cultural achievements be affected by migration when Germany has always been a heavily trafficked area for immigrants?
   -No government on Earth ever gives a “free money handout” to anyone. Registering for financial assistance programs is purposely made to be tedious and difficult (with the exception of financial assistance in the Nordic Council nations) so that the registration process is only worth the time and effort of those who are truly in desperate need. In addition, registration for financial assistance certainly does not guarantee receipt of government financial assistance. Refugees to not leave their hometowns and possessions behind, hand over all their financial assets as demanded by the Syrian government in order to emigrate, to risk life and limb traveling across dangerous borders to unfamiliar nations within which they are socially ostracized, just to fill out stacks of paperwork in a new language they must quickly learn, in order to obtain a tiny amount of money from a prejudiced government that just barely covers the cost of feeding their families. Refugees only flee their home countries in the most tortuous, life-threatening circumstances. Without initial financial assistance, refugees would be completely unable to survive, let alone become productive contributors to their host nations. Wouldn’t denial of financial assistance to refugees be more likely to cause “economic destruction?” Would refugees not be forced to become petty theft criminals in order to feed their families if they were forced to live with absolutely nothing?
   There have been a handful of historic incidences of sudden influx of Irish immigrants to Germany in the past few centuries; yet never has militant rejection of Irish people been considered characteristic of German “Patriots.” Though American immigrants to Germany are comparably small in number, Americans (such as myself, Mr. Mahnke, and Mr.Sea) do not face gatherings of hundreds of anti-American protesters spreading nationalist hatred. Would Mr.Sea, if visiting Germany, were to encounter protesters yelling at him to leave Germany and never come back because of his American citizenship, would he call these people “Patriots?”
   History remembers crises and this refugee crisis faced by Europe will be described in the textbooks of European schoolchildren. Every action, from the individual to the national level, counts right now and will go on record. The way Europeans respond right now (or fail to respond) will define and characterize exactly the way their great-grandchildren will perceive them.