CRI听力:Thousands Protest in Germany against Anti-Islamic Rallies

Tens of thousands of people in the eastern German city of Dresden have protested against racism and for an open society.

The protests on Saturday came in reaction to weekly anti-Islamic demonstrations that have been taking place for months.

The weekly rallies are organized by a group calling itself Patriotic Europeans against the Islamisation of the West, or Pegida.

Those rallies have been attended by up to 18-thousand people, but Saturday's counter protests mobilized more than twice the crowds, around 35-thousand protesters.

Helma Orosz is Mayor of Dresden.

"I believe that this is a clear sign that our society is standing together, and furthermore that we're not forgetting those who are afraid, those who might march with Pegida on Monday. We're not abandoning them, we're inviting them to come to us."

Earlier, German Chancellor Angela Merkel condemned the attacks in France as "barbaric" and pledged Germany's firm support for its neighbour.

Speaking at a news conference in Hamburg, Angela Merkel also stressed the need to differentiate between Islam, Islamism and Islamists, saying that more information and dialogue were needed.