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The founder of Germany’s controversial Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamification of the West (Pegida) movement has stepped down, after he posted a photo of himself dressed Hitler on Facebook – sparking an international outcry.

Lutz Bachmann first dismissed a backlash against the image, in which he wears his hair and moustache in the style of Adolf Hitler, by claiming he was merely joking.

Bild's front page showing Pegida leader Lutz Bachmann 'posing as Hitler'

Bild’s front page showing Pegida leader Lutz Bachmann ‘posing as Hitler’

But Pegida’s Kathrin Oertel later told new agencies that Bachmann was stepping back from his roles in the group which opposing what it calls the “Islamization of the West”, German broadcaster Deutsche Welle reported.

Bachmann then told German daily Bild, the newspaper which first published the two-year-old image: « Yes, I am also resigning as chairman [of Pegida]. »

http://www.independent.co.uk