Europe's immigration crisis has taken a new turn after reports that New Year's attacks on women in Cologne and other cities were organized by immigrant groups. Swedish authorities now have to answer allegations that police covered up similar attacks on women in Sweden. While a wave of migrants from Northern Africa, the Middle East and parts of Asia continues to arrive at Europe's door, governments struggle to stem anti-immigrant sentiment in the host countries. Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of Germany's eastern city of Leipzig to call for tolerance in the wake of anti-immigrant protests organized by LEGIDA, a local offshoot of the German right-wing nationalist group PEGIDA. Anti-immigrant groups have long been protesting what they call the Islamization of the West, and reports of the New Year's Eve attacks on women in Cologne and other cities have boosted their cause. "These Muslim refugees have begun a generalized terrorist attack - an attack against German women; against white, blonde women," said Tatjana Festerling, a leader of PEGIDA. Xenophobic mobs were blamed for a series of attacks against Pakistani, Syrian and African men in Cologne Sunday night. But many women came out to protest the violence. "What PEGIDA does today makes me angry. We all know that PEGIDA, and hooligans who gathered today, couldn't care less about women's rights. They always come here to beat foreigners. For them, it's about doing propaganda, not fighting sexism," said Emily Michels, a member of Cologne Against Far-right. |