Edwin Wagensveld

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

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. He had previously that year participated in a Hogesa demonstration.

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. During his subsequent trial in November, he tore apart another copy of the Quran. In January 2024, he was violently attacked during a demonstration in Arnhem after he tried to burn a Quran. In March, he was arrested in Arnhem for pulling a Quran on a dog leash.