Edwin Wagensveld Explained

Edwin Wagensveld
Image Upright:yes
Birth Date:1969
Organization:Pegida

Edwin Wagensveld (born 1969)[1] is a Dutch anti-Islam activist, convicted criminal and leader of Pegida Netherlands.[2] [3] [4] He has managed to "create a spectacle generating broad media coverage" with his anti-Islam protests and Quran desecrations.[5]

Activities

Wagensveld has been the leader of Pegida Netherlands since November 2014, at a time when he owned a small internet-based business selling non-lethal weapons, self-defence articles and outdoors products.[1] [6] He had previously that year participated in a Hogesa demonstration.[1] He lives in Germany close to the Dutch border, and commutes to the Netherlands to stage demonstrations, and is a staunch supporter of Geert Wilders.[1] In 2016, he was revealed to have been patrolling for refugees on the border between Bulgaria and Turkey with Tatjana Festerling.[7]

In April 2018, Wagensveld was sentenced to two years and nine months in prison for tax evasion.[8]

He was investigated by Dutch police for tearing out pages of the Quran and calling it a "fascist book" in January 2023 in front of the Dutch parliament building.[3] His desecrations of the Quran contributed to the diplomatic Quran crisis that year.[3] In August, he trampled on and tore up a Quran outside the Turkish embassy in The Hague.[9] During his subsequent trial in November, he tore apart another copy of the Quran.[4] He was sentenced to forty hours of community service.[10] In January 2024, he was violently attacked during a demonstration in Arnhem after he tried to burn a Quran.[11] In March, he was arrested in Arnhem for pulling a Quran on a dog leash.[12]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Book: Berntzen, Lars Erik. Liberal Roots of Far Right Activism: The Anti-Islamic Movement in the 21st Century. 173. 2019. Routledge. 9781000707960.
  2. News: Wie is Edwin Wagensveld, de man die Marcouch wil provoceren door een koran in hartje Arnhem te verbranden?. Albert . Heller. Eric . van der Vegt. de Gelderlander. 12 January 2024. nl.
  3. News: Dutch prosecutors investigate activist who desecrated Quran. Associated Press. 14 April 2023.
  4. News: Far-right leader tears up Koran during trial in the Netherlands. The Brussels Times. 9 November 2023.
  5. Book: The Politics of Replacement: Demographic Fears, Conspiracy Theories, and Race Wars. Sarah . Bracke. Luis Manuel Hernández . Aguilar. 2023. Taylor & Francis. 9781003813095.
  6. Book: PEGIDA and New Right-Wing Populism in Germany. Hans . Vorländer. Maik . Herold. Steven . Schäller. 2018. Springer. 16. 9783319674957.
  7. News: Dutch Pegida leader will appear in court over swastika. 18 August 2016. DutchNews.
  8. News: „Ed, der Holländer“ verurteilt. Gisela. Schmidt. Alexander. Schneider. Sächsische. 27 April 2018. de.
  9. News: Qur’an ripped up during far-right protest in Netherlands. Arab News. 19 August 2023.
  10. News: Pegida-voorman Edwin Wagensveld veroordeeld tot taakstraf om koranbelediging. 23 November 2023. NU. nl.
  11. News: Pegida-voorman belaagd bij koranverbranding in Arnhem. de Volkskrant. 13 January 2024. nl.
  12. News: Pegida-voorman Edwin Wagensveld aangehouden in rechtbank Arnhem. 27 March 2024. NOS. nl.