The German government banned the controversial “Reich citizen” group and arrested its leaders. Also called the Reichsburger movement, the group rejects the legitimacy of the modern German state, maintaining that the prewar German Reich still legally exists.
After years of conflicts with authorities, the German government banned the movement’s largest group, the “Kingdom of Germany.” In a nationwide operation, over 800 police officers stormed members’ properties and arrested the four leaders.
Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt accused the members of building criminal structures.
“The members of this association have created a ‘counter-state’ in our country and built up economic criminal structures,” he said, also accusing them of holding antisemitic beliefs.
“We will take decisive action against those who attack our free democratic basic order,” he added.
Among those arrested on Tuesday was Peter Fitzek, 59, who proclaimed himself King Peter I in a 2012 ceremony during which he brandished a medieval sword.
In a 2022 interview with the BBC, Fitzek denied any violent intentions, but added, “I have no interest in being part of this fascist and satanic system.”
Police blocked the group’s online platforms and seized its assets.
Though commonly associated with the Nazis, the German Reich, translated as “realm” or “empire,” was the constitutional term for the German state from its foundation at Versailles in 1871 to the dismemberment of Germany in 1945. The Reichsburger movement argues that the state never actually fell, that the current German Republic is a private company rather than a state, and that Germany is still under occupation by the Allies.
Reichsburger movement adherents refuse to pay taxes or fines, ignore court orders, and generally disregard authorities. Some groups issue their own passports, driver’s licenses, or other marks of legitimacy. Several members have declared themselves monarchs and attempted to establish their own parallel states.
While only a small percentage of Reichsburger adherents are considered right-wing extremists, the number was high enough to draw concerns from authorities. The movement was put under surveillance after a member killed a Bavarian police officer who tried to confiscate a cache of weapons. The incident caused law enforcement to change its view of the group from harmless cranks to something more sinister.
“This is not about harmless nostalgics, as the title of the association might suggest, but about criminal structures, criminal networks,” Dobrindt said Tuesday. “That’s why it’s being banned today.”
The “Kingdom of Germany” claims roughly 6,000 members, but authorities believe the actual number is around 1,000. Authorities estimated the total number of Reichsburgers to be around 40,000.
The Reichsburger movement gained national attention in 2022 when federal police arrested 25 people who were allegedly planning a coup. The group was made up of right-wing extremists and ex-military figures, who were reportedly planning for a “Day X” to storm the Reichstag and install their own king.
GERMANY FOILS ALLEGED FAR-RIGHT COUP ATTEMPT TO OVERTHROW THE GOVERNMENT
The Reichsburger movement is considered fringe, with no links to mainstream groups such as the Alternative for Germany Party, which has also been targeted by the German government.
Shortly after becoming the country’s most popular political party, the AfD was deemed an “extremist” group by the government earlier this month. Germany’s intelligence agency now spies on the group, and the government is split on whether to ban it.