MOSCOW, December 24 (Sputnik) - German President Joachim Gauck called on German citizens to abandon their biases against asylum seekers and avoid discrimination, as reported by Deutsche Welle.
"Where we can contribute to maintaining peace or alleviate suffering so that we can build a better future, then we should do everything in our power to do so," Gauck said, as cited by the newspaper.
In his Christmas speech, the German President appealed to the public, asking them to adopt a more moderate and weighed approach towards refugees. He urged people not to be daunted by cultural and religious difficulties and criticized recent Anti-Muslim protests in the country.
Thousands Join Anti-Islam Protest In #Germany http://t.co/r0Zu8qNucu via @theworldpost #PEGIDA
— Chris Markevich (@cmarkevich) 24 декабря 2014
"The fact that the great majority of us do not follow those who want to seal off Germany has been truly encouraging for me this year," Gauck said in his speech, adding that Germany has been responsible for helping asylum seekers and dealing with the anti-Islamic sentiment which is spreading across the country.
Mass demonstrations against the influx of refugees from Muslim countries were mainly organized by PEGIDA, also known under its full name, "Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamization of the West". The largest protest so far took place in Dresden and gathered about 17,500 people on Monday, according to die Welt.
Anti-'Islamization' movement in #Germany keeps growing http://t.co/anLLYTwa9P #Pegida pic.twitter.com/nPzzebcjWA
— Clarion Project (@clarionproject) 23 декабря 2014
