When PEGIDA began its weekly protest marches in October 2014, many were blindsided by its steady outpouring of support. From a mere 350 followers on October 25, 2014, the numbers grew to between 17,000 and 25,000 on January 12, 2015. This talk analyzes the rhetoric and ideological affinities of PEGIDA with other right populist groups, both past and present. Their biases rely on chauvinistic nationalism and anti-government and anti-journalist stances. Slogans like “lying press” and “government abuse” create disdain for democratic mechanisms and open the door to violence and conspiracy theories. A close look at PEGIDA’s and AfD’s ideological backers (Udo Ulfkotte, Götz Kubitschek, and Tanja Festerling) reveals the group’s violent actionism despite its claim to represent mainstream citizens. Employing Jacques de St. Victor’s concept of anti-politics, Professor Druxes analyzes how PEGIDA instrumentalizes mistrust in governmental institutions to create a digital simulacrum of political participation.