German police have been harassing the far-right Citizens of the Reich (Reichsbürger) over the past few months, resulting in 25 arrests today as the far-right group planned armed attacks and the overthrow of the German government.

Even though this particular movement has been established since 1871, it has resurfaced during the coronavirus period, demonstrating absolute defiance of the rules of self-restraint.

They do not recognize the Federal Republic of Germany

Its members deny the existence of the Federal Republic of Germany after World War II. They believe that the current state is nothing but a construct that is still dominated by the West – the US, UK and France. For them, the borders of the German Empire of 1937 still exist.

They also do not recognize the legitimacy of the public authorities of the Federal Republic of Germany. They refuse to pay taxes and have declared their own small “national territories” which they call the “Second German Empire”, the “Free State of Prussia” or the “Principality of Germany”.

Members of these groups print their own passports and driver’s licenses. They even produce T-shirts and flags for promotional purposes. The organization is indifferent to the fact that the above activities are illegal and are not recognized by any German authorities.

The majority of the organization’s supporters are found mainly in the states of Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Bavaria.

German internal intelligence estimates that there are about 21,000 members of the movement in Germany, 5% of whom are classified as far-right extremists.

Profile of its members

Most of them are men, on average over 50 years old, who adhere to right-wing populist, anti-Semitic and Nazi ideologies and are scattered around the country. Also, many of them believe in conspiracy theories.

They themselves gained a foothold during the pandemic with the Kwerdenker movement when they refused to comply with the restrictions imposed by the authorities (which they do not recognize).

From time to time, many German mayors complained that they were constantly attacked (verbally or even physically) by members of the “Citizens of the Reich”.

Members often film such attacks on video and then post them online.

Extreme acts of violence

The group deals with acts of violence and vandalism. In particular, during searches in the houses, the police found large caches of weapons and ammunition.

Also, a significant part of the group are former soldiers of the Bundeswehr and the NPA (National People’s Army of the GDR), including men with special military training.

In recent years, the German authorities have revoked the licenses to carry weapons from hundreds of followers of the movement, and also received dozens of attacks from them.

In 2016, a police officer was shot dead by a member of the movement during a police raid on his arsenal, which contained more than 30 firearms.

In 2021, several members of the movement took part in protests against the restrictions imposed due to COVID-19 and even tried to enter the historic Reichstag building in Berlin.

Source: DV