VIENNA - PEGIDA, the anti-Islam movement born in Germany, drew hundreds of supporters and counter-demonstrators to the streets of Vienna when it held its first march in neighboring Austria on Monday. With 1,200 police officers deployed in Austria's capital as a precaution, around 250 marchers carrying Austrian flags and chanting 'we are the people' faced off against a like number of protestors shouting 'down with PEGIDA'. Ranks of police in riot gear separated the two camps. A police spokesman said there had been no incidents or arrests. Earlier, thousands of people had marched in a protest against PEGIDA. The rally followed violent demonstrations on Friday by left-wing activists protesting against an annual ball in Vienna that traditionally draws right-wing figures.
(photo credit: The Jerusalem Post)