AfD embraces Pegida ahead of German election
Party speakers say Merkel administration has ‘blood on its hands’ over its refugee policy
A supporter of the Pegida movement and German right-wing populist party Alternative for Germany holds a banner against Angela Merkel, in Dresden, on Monday. Photograph: Filip Singer/EPA
Germany’s far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) has embraced the xenophobic Pegida movement to boost its vote ahead of Sunday’s federal election. On Monday evening in Dresden, leaders of the anti-immigrant and Islamophobic movement urged supporters to support the AfD in the coming poll.