Racist Pegida boss convicted for fraud

The image of Lutz Bachmann styled as Adolf Hitler was published by the Dresden Morgenpost after a reader spotted it on Facebook

This image of Lutz Bachmann, fuehrer of the racist Pegida organisation in Germany, who had styled himself as Adolf Hitler, was published by the Dresden Morgenpost.

Herr Bachmann has been in prison on a number of occasions, for—among other things— organised break-ins in Dresden’s red light district. Later, he was imprisoned for his involvement in drug dealing.

Then, there was Pegida spokesman Nino K. and his bombings, including of a mosque.

And now this. Translated from Dutch NOS TV today:

The Dutchman Edwin Wagensveld (50), one of the initiators of the anti-Islam movement Pegida, was sentenced to 33 months in Germany. He got that punishment for tax evasion.

Wagensveld, who is called ‘Ed the Hollander’ in Germany, does arms trade and an internet shop in Germany. The original indictment stated that he had concealed 489,000 euros of income from the sale of mainly air-pressure weapons from the German tax authorities.

In the courtroom he first said that nothing of that was correct. He said he was a poor devil, he could not even afford health insurance and was happy if he could pay his monthly rent of 400 euros.

Holiday of 8000 euros

Wagensveld had to change that when the prosecutor gave an overview of private spending in recent years. He had transferred 240,000 euros from Dutch accounts to Germany and spent 8,000 euros on a holiday in Italy. He also bought clothes for a few hundred euros every month. …

The judge in Bavaria finally condemned him for tax evasion worth 290,000 euros.

Injury

‘Ed the Hollander’ was a leading Pegida member from the very beginning and regularly spoke at anti-Islam events, also in the Netherlands. He was previously convicted in Germany for tax evasion, but also for illegal arms trade and the infliction of bodily injury.

Two years ago Wagensveld was brought to justice in the Netherlands for showing a swastika during a demonstration in Amsterdam. The then mayor Van der Laan had forbidden that.