World Bulletin / News Desk

German far-right movement Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the West, or PEGIDA, is set to hold its first rally in Sweden.

About 200 supporters of the right-wing movement are expected to take part in the demonstration on Monday in Sweden’s third-largest city, Malmo, local media reported on Friday.

The announcement - made by the group on its Swedish Facebook page which currently has 8,800 followers - signals rising tension in the country where the far-right, anti-immigrant Sweden Democrats more than doubled their support in last year’s elections compared to the country's 2010 polls.

Sweden’s news agency TT reported PEGIDA organizers are anticipating a counter-demonstration to take place simultaneously on Monday, without specifying the number of expected participants.

The rallies come after a series of arson attacks were launched against mosques across Sweden in December last year, and were followed by protests condemning them.

About 170 people took part in a PEGIDA rally in the Norwegian capital of Oslo on Jan.15 and about 200 took part in the Danish capital of Copenhagen on Jan.19, according to local Swedish media.

Hundreds of people also took part in counter-demonstrations against the events.