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| Immagine inviata da Pegida Canada |
L'esistenza di una branca canadese di Pegida ha fatto scalpore, non fosse che la nazione retta da Justin Trudeau passi per essere una di quelle dove il cosiddetto multiculturalismo ha raggiunto importanti successi.
Tacciati di legami con l'estrema destra, i rappresentanti di Pegida non ci stanno, e mi è parso interessante andare a sentire la loro opinione in un momento dove il confronto fra cultura occidentale e islamica è giunto a uno scontro forte e sanguinoso, come testimoniato dai recenti fatti di Nizza e Monaco di Baviera.
Lascerò il testo in inglese, così coe mi è giusto tramite posta elettronica, in modo da non perderne alcuni significati e consentire anche al pubblico canadese di leggerlo senza problemi.
In breve, riassumendo in italiano quanto mi è stato risposto da Jenny Hill, director di Pegida Canada, si rifiuta ogni contatto con l'estrema destra, si ribadisce che, troppo spesso, in Canada, nei confronti dell'Islam viene concesso un trattamento preferenziale rispetto alle altre religioni. Per quanto riguarda i rapporti con l'Europa, si plaude alla Brexit e al risveglio nazionalistico di alcuni Paesi, come nel caso della Francia di Marine Le Pen, mentre si sa poco o nulla della Lega Nord di Matteo Salvini. In definitiva, conclude la Hill, l'Islam in Canada diventa sempre più pericoloso anche perché i figli degli immigrati musulmani dimostrando una maggiore ortodossia religiosa rispetto ai propri genitori.
1) Why a movement like Pegida is born even in Canada, a country in which world consider the integration between different cultures perfect?
"Pegida was started in Canada because as a land of immigrants, we see the value of a true democracy which we want to preserve. Pegida Canada was established in January 2015, 3 months after Pegida Germany began. This was before the whole migrant issue surfaced, so our concern, as was Germany's, was the preservation of our Judeo/Christian democratic heritage. We have had issues with Jihadi in Canada, and Islam has been a hot topic in our government for several years. It was a large election issue in 2015. Canada is a very diverse country, and integration generally works well, however, more and more, the Islamic community is pushing their will on the rest of society and the government. One example is the citizenship swearing ceremony in Ottawa. The law was that a persons face must be uncovered, regardless of ethnic background. This law was changed, because a Muslim woman fought this law. This is preferential treatment. This is not integration".
2) Original Pegida inspires itself to the support an immigration model like Switzerland, Australia, Canada or South Africa. In this case it seems they think Canada could be a good model. Are they wrong?
"We think Canada's immigration policy was one to be admired, however, with our new liberal government and the migrant crisis, many of our immigration policies have gone by the wayside. In theory, Canada's immigration policy is sound".
3) Canadian medias says in Your organization there are people from extreme right parties and organizations. Is it true? Do You feel Yourself, like a single person, having an identity from the right? Is possible to identificate Pegida, and Pegida Canada, with a political party?
"The people that are involved in Pegida Canada, I would consider center right, not far right. We are accused of being fascist, Nazis and racist. This is simply not true. We have supporters from all ethnic groups and races. Our aim is protecting our democracy, not lording it over others. Having said that, we do have people that are attracted to Pegida that are racist and bigoted. When we see this, they are blocked from the page. We are not a white supremacist group. At the moment, we feel that none of our mainstream political parties are ideal. Progressive Conservatives come the closest, but they bend to political correctness as well. There are several smaller independent parties that we feel we could work with. Political aspirations are something that we are looking into".
4) How many people follow really Your movement in Canada? From the pics taken seem that to Your meetings doesn't attend so many people...
"Our page has almost 16,000 followers, this is comprised not only of Canadians, but also Europeans, and people from all over the world. Our demos are small because we do not make them public. Our aim at this point is to get our name and mandate out there and educate people. We do communicate with the government as well via letters albeit one sided. We get very few replies from them. We had a public rally in September of 2015, sparsely attended, perhaps 35 people, and we were attacked by antifa, who had perhaps 80 people. The police allowed antifa to get within 2 meters of our rally, and they became violent, so the police made us shut down. So, until we have more support, we continue to have small demos with people we trust".
5) Which is, in Canada, the Province where You, as Pegida, feel stronger, that's to say, You thing to have more followers? Quebec, Ontario, others?
"Pegida Canada has the most followers in Ontario, followed by Quebec and Alberta".
6) Which is the origin of the people partecipating to Your meetings? Are there italians (or italo-canadians) too?
"We have all ethnic groups represented in our group, which is natural, since we are an immigrant country, but we also have many first nation (native american) supporters. Many are first generation immigrants who come from oppressive regimes, and that is why they are so passionate in keeping our freedoms here. We have many former Muslim supporters, those who have been oppressed by Islam, many Pakistani/Indian supporters, Jewish supporters, they come from all ethnic groups including Italy, yes. At one of our demos, we were approached by an Italian immigrant, thanking us for our work, and urging us to keep fighting".
7) Do You have any connections with italian Lega Nord? Have You had in the past? Do You think You'll have in the future? Have You heard about Matteo Salvini, Lega Nord's leader, what do You think of him?
"We do not have connections with Lega Nord, not something I am familiar with but will look into".
8) French Marine Le Pen, austrian Norbert Hofer, it seems Europe is awakening in a new dimension in which the Right is stronger than ever. Are You satisfied about this? Do You have connections with them?
"We have no connections with Le Pen nor Hofer, but we certainly are happy that there is a new awakening happening, and agree with many of their policies. There are organizations that are far right, I don't consider Pegida far right. We don't agree with the militant stance of some groups, we feel that change should come about by citizens petitioning their government for change and protection. We believe this is Pegida's strength, particularly in Europe".
9) What do You feel about Brexit? As a movement I mean.
"The Brexit movement was necessary. The EU has far too much power without caring about the citizens of Europe. As you can see, other countries want to follow Britain's example, and this is well justified. The predictors of doom because of Britain's departure have been proven wrong so far. Each country should be in charge of themselves, not under the dictates of an elitist organization".
10) Last question: How do You and Pegida Canada consider Islam? It's possible to share the same place in living with Muslims, or this religion must be fought in absolute? And how must be fought? Do You think that only radicalized Islam is dangerous, or just Islam in all its variations?
"Islam is dangerous because of it's full life philosophy. It encompasses every part of a Muslims life, and considers itself superior to all other faiths. Not only that, it's mandate is to have a world caliphate. We have organizations in Canada that are allowed to preach this (world caliphate) with no governmental interference. Islam is radical in nature, the Quran being the radical teacher. We think that Islam is not compatible with democracy in it's present form, and a really good example is what we are witnessing in Turkey right now. In order for Islam to co exist with democracy, it needs a reformation, and this is almost impossible according to the Quran. Understand that it is not Muslims we battle, though they are involved naturally, it is the doctrine we fight. We want protection from sharia law, sharia court systems, from hate preaching Imams and mosques, from jihadi, we don't want our laws changed to accommodate Islam. A recent poll in Canada has shown that the majority of young Muslims are more orthodox than their parents. More and more are wearing the hijab and follow traditional Islamic teachings. We want protection from our government, and it is an uphill battle, because our current liberal government is Islam sympathetic. So in brief, we think that western countries need protection from Islam. Period".