Geert Wilders’ Speech at the PEGIDA Rally in Dresden

Hon. Geert Wilders, leader of the Dutch Freedom Party speaking at the PEGIDA Rally Dresden, April 13, 2015

Hon. Geert Wilders, leader of the Dutch Freedom Party  spoke at the 22nd weekly PEGIDA  rally in Dresden yesterday.  PEGIDA  stands for Patriotic Europeans Against Islamilization of the West. A crowd of more than 10,000 gathered to hear him.  Below is an English translation  of his speech.  A You Tube video of his address before the Dresden PEGIDA rally  can be found at the 40 minute mark .  Our thanks to our colleagues at the Gates of Vienna for posting this English translation:

Speech by Geert Wilders at PEGIDA

Dresden, 13 April 2015

Dear friends, hello Germany, hello Dresden!

Thank you for being here tonight. Thank you for coming together with so many.

It is a privilege to be speaking to you in the beautiful Elbestadt Dresden.
For the past 22 weeks, you have gathered here every Monday,
together with thousands of German patriots.

In bad weather, in good weather,
in pouring rain and in stormy winds,
you were always here,
Dresden zeigt, wie’s geht!
[Dresden shows the way]

I know how difficult it is, especially in Germany, to be proud patriots. There is a lot of resistance.
In my eyes, you are all heroes.
And I applaud you.

Because there is nothing wrong with being proud German patriots.
There is nothing wrong with wanting Germany to remain free and democratic.
There is nothing wrong with preserving our own Judeo-Christian civilization. That is our duty.

Our own culture is the best culture there is.
Immigrants should adopt our values and not the other way round.
Our freedom and democracy must be defended.

It is our duty to defend it.

That is why we are here tonight.
In the tradition of Kant, Schiller, and Stauffenberg.
In the tradition of freedom of speech,
in the tradition of speaking the truth.
And acting accordingly.

26 years ago, you in Dresden, and your compatriots in Leipzig and the other cities of the former GDR, taught the world an important lesson.

You showed that the truth is stronger than lies,
that courage is stronger than tyranny,
that freedom is stronger than oppression.

You brought Germany die Wende. [the process of change]
Today, we need a new Wende.

Most of the politicians, media, churches and academics
look away from the threat of Islamization.
They are afraid.
But you are not.

You and I are here together tonight. Because we are PEGIDA,
die Patriotische Europäer gegen die Islamisierung des Abendlandes
[Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamization of the West].
We are the people!
We are die Wende!
And nothing, nobody, will stop us.

And we hate no-one. We fight for our freedom, and hence we object to totalitarian Islam, but we do not hate Muslims.

Neither do we hate our political opponents who are protesting here in Dresden against us.

I am happy that we in Germany and the Netherlands are allowed to demonstrate against each other. Without violence. Without hatred.

That is also the important difference between our country and, for example, Saudi Arabia or Iran.

And I say to the Prime Minister of Saxony, who felt he needed to warn against me:
We are indeed those who are fighting against discrimination and hatred.

Look at all the countries where Islam is dominant. Look at Saudi Arabia, Iran, Pakistan. Non-Muslims, Christians, Jews, women, gays and apostates are treated there as inferior. They are being humiliated, persecuted, and even murdered. That is exactly what we are fighting against.

And it is a disgrace, Mr Prime Minister, that we do not find you on our side.
It is a disgrace, Mr Prime Minister, that you do not warn against that.

We have had enough of political correctness.
We have had enough of the Islamization of our societies.
We stand for freedom, for the truth.
And we want to live in freedom and in the truth!

Because we think that without freedom life is not worth living.
Freedom and human rights — that is what we stand for.

Frau Merkel says Islam belongs in Germany. I ask you: Is she right?
She is not right!

Should I take Frau Merkel with me to Holland? No, thanks!

I have a message for Frau Merkel:
Frau Merkel, the majority of your people say that Islam does not belong in Germany!

Frau Merkel, the Netherlands, Germany, the other nations in the West are not Islamic countries.

We do not want a Monokultur, but we want our own Judeo-Christian culture to remain the Leitkultur in our land.

We want to remain what we are.
We want to remain who we are!

While most politicians sing the praises of Islam, we worry about the future of our country.

We worry because we have read the Koran.
In verse 9:29 it states that it is OK to fight Jews and Christians.
In verse 4:89 it instructs Muslims to kill anyone who leaves Islam.

We worry because recent academic research revealed that 45% of the Muslims in Germany believe Islamic religious rules are more important than secular German laws.

We worry because 73% of the Muslims in my country say that Dutch Muslims who fight in Syria are heroes. 73%!

We worry because in the past months, we have seen thousands of homegrown youths leave our countries to join the Islamic State.

We worry because we have seen how many of these jihadists have returned to Europe, and most of them have not been imprisoned.
They currently roam our streets like ticking time bombs.

We cannot afford to do nothing. We have to do something.

Every citizen is responsible for the preservation of our liberties.
Every one of you must, wherever he or she can, raise the awareness of his or her fellow citizens.
Germany cannot be warned enough against Islamization.

Not all Muslims are terrorists, but most terrorists are Muslims.
We worry because we know where they find their inspiration.
We know the book they read.

Look at what happened in Kenya just last week,
where savage jihadists attacked a university,
where Muslims were separated from non-Muslims,
where Muslims were allowed to leave,
and non-Muslims were murdered in cold blood.

Look at what happened in Paris and Copenhagen earlier this year.

We don’t want terrorist acts like these to happen in Germany or the Netherlands.

And, hence, it is important that everyone of you should raise the alarm for Germany.

If you love Germany, then raise the alarm.
If you love your husband or wife, then raise the alarm.
If you love your children, then raise the alarm.

Warn your neighbors, your colleagues, your friends for the danger of Islamization, a danger to your country, your liberty, your partner, your children.

In recent decades, Europe has been confronted with burkas, honor killings, female genital mutilation, polygamy, the killing of apostates.
All over Europe, mega-mosques are being built, while in Saudi Arabia the first church still needs to be built.

Last year, a record number of over 626.000 asylum seekers came to the European Union. That is an increase of 44%.
Two thirds of these asylum seekers came from Islamic countries.
Over 200,000 asylum seekers came to Germany.

This year, there will be even more.
We are facing a catastrophe.
And I tell you: Enough is enough!

Of course, fugitives from for example Syria should be safe. But they should be accommodated in their own region. Not here. Not in Europe. We should leave Schengen and reinstall our own border controls.

Immigrants who are already legally in our countries, who obey the law and assimilate into our culture, are welcome to stay and are equal to anybody else.

But to those who have crossed our borders illegally, want to wage jihad, put Sharia law above our laws, or commit violent crimes, we say loud and clear: Leave our country! You do not belong here!

And when jihadists want to leave our country, I say: Do not stop them, but let them leave! But let them never return. Never again.

I know that anyone who voices criticism of Islam and Muhammad is in grave personal danger.
I know it from personal experience. I am on the Al-Qaeda death list.
But today, we all face the threats of terrorism.
Today, we are all on the death list of the jihadis.

I tell you:
I am sick and tired of the politicians who put their heads in the sand like ostriches.
I am sick and tired of their shameful irresponsibility and their appalling cowardice.

I founded the Party for Freedom in the Netherlands to protect the Netherlands against Islamization.

Look at the state of freedom, safety and terror in the Islamic world.
We do not want that here.
Lets us not import the lack of freedom, the lack of safety, and the terror.

Dear friends,
I also call on Muslims:
Join die Wende!
Liberate yourself from the shackles of Islam! Throw off the joke.
Leave Islam and choose freedom and dignity!

We are die Wende.
We are the voice of the people.
We are the torch-bearers for freedom.
We are the torch-bearers for democracy.
We are the torch-bearers for our own civilization.

We must be brave. That is what we must do. Be brave. That is our duty.

I ask you: Do our leaders do that?
No, they don’t.
They don’t do their duty.
They even lie to us.

Every day, we hear the same mantra that Islam is a religion of peace. After every atrocity committed in the name of Islam, Barack Obama, David Cameron, Angela Merkel and my own Prime Minister rush to the television cameras to declare that these acts have noting to do with Islam.
How stupid do they think we are?

Most of our politicians look away. But we will not be silent. Because we are the people — the people that refuse to be enslaved!

Dear friends,
Difficult times need courageous people, like you.

There are many of us. In every country in the West there are courageous patriots who stand on our side.
That is why I am an optimist.
We in the Netherlands, you in Germany and the patriots in other countries, we stand together.

Our political leaders may abandon our country, but we will not.

Dear friends, German patriots,
look at Israel, learn from Israel.
Israel is an island in a sea of Islamic barbarism.
Israel is a beacon of freedom and prosperity in a region of Islamic darkness.
Israel refuses to be overrun by the jihadists. So should we.

Be proud of Germany. Always.
Preserve your German identity.
Preserve your German heritage.
Preserve your German Leitkultur.

Germany is the backbone of Europe.
Keep it free and democratic.

Let the light of freedom shine!
Never submit to barbarism!

Long live Freedom.
Long live PEGIDA,
Long live Germany,
My friends, we are the people!

Thank you!