PEGIDA Leader Goes on Trial in Germany for Incitement

One of the founders of the German anti-immigration group PEGIDA went on trial Tuesday, charged with incitement over Facebook posts in which he allegedly called foreigners “cattle” and “trash.”

Lutz Bachmann’s trial at the district court in the eastern city of Dresden is scheduled to last until May 10. Incitement can carry a prison sentence of up to five years.

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Bachmann expressed regret shortly after the postings–and photos of him posing as Adolf Hitler–surfaced. He described them as “ill-considered comments that I wouldn’t make in this way today” and apologized for harming PEGIDA.

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As the trial opened, supporters staged a protest outside the court bearing banners calling for “freedom for Lutz Bachmann.” Opponents chanted “Bachmann in the slammer.”

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