Lutz Bachmann, founder of the anti-Islamisation PEGIDA movement, has confirmed that he has moved to the Canary Islands to escape persecution from the German government.
After almost two years of campaigning against the Islamisation of Germany and warning of the repercussions of unlimited mass migration, founder and former leader of the PEGIDA movement, Lutz Bachmann, has been forced to leave Germany.
Citing the coordinated government persecution of himself and targeted attacks on his family, Mr. Bachmann has moved to Tenerife on the Spanish Canary Islands off the coast of Africa.
Spiegel Online reports that the PEGIDA founder’s appearance at the weekly Monday evening demonstrations in Dresden have become rare in recent months, with rumours circulating that Mr. Bachmann had emigrated and was flying into the country to participate in the German rallies.
It was then confirmed by German media that Mr. Bachmann had permanently left Dresden and had been travelling back and forth from the Canary Islands for the past five months.
Mr. Bachmann made a statement on Youtube explaining the reasons he was no longer residing in Dresden, citing increased threats toward him and several attempts to break into his house by unknown assailants. He also noted that his wife had undergone psychological stress due to the ongoing persecution of Mr. Bachmann.
During his statement, Mr. Bachmann also alleged that his car had been sabotaged. The incident may draw comparisons to an incident with former UKIP leader Nigel Farage’s car last October.
Mr. Farage was involved in a crash on the French motorway after a wheel came off his Volvo estate, the nuts holding it in place having been deliberately loosened.
The move follows what has been alleged to be systematic persecution of Mr. Bachmann by the German state which arrested him over comments he made on Facebook related to migrants. The German court in Dresden found him guilty of “hate speech” earlier this year, subjecting him to a large fine.
During the video he also blasted PEGIDA co-leader Tatjana Festerling, who was the first to reveal that Mr. Bachmann had gone to Tenerife on her Facebook account, saying that she needed to understand that the safety of his family was his most important priority.
Ms. Festerling courted controversy earlier this year when she joined a group of vigilantes in Bulgaria to help them track down illegal migrants crossing the border. The German government has considered charges against her, as they allege she joined a foreign paramilitary group, though she maintains she had only visited them for the day.
Mr. Bachmann maintains that whilst he is living overseas he will continue to be active in the PEGIDA movement.
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