German far-right Reichsbürger (Citizens of the Reich) movement has made headlines during recent months. In December last year, German police raided several places across the country and arrested over 20 people, who were planning to overthrow the government and violently storm the German parliament building Reichstag. Couple of members of the plot were arrested in Austria and Italy. The arrested people had strong links to the Reichsbürger movement and the QAnon conspiracy theories. One arrested person was a former MP for the far-right party Alternative für Deutschland (AfD). (1) In January this year, five Germans were charged with treason over an another alleged far-right plot to overthrow the German government. The beliefs of the group were very similar to the Reichsbürger movement. (2) Last week, a German police officer was shot and wounded during raids in an operation that was related to investigations regarding the Reichsbürger movement (3).
The Reichsbürger movement consists of small groups and individuals who live in different parts of Germany. Members of the movement support various beliefs, for example that modern Germany is not a sovereign state and should therefore not be considered to be a legitimate form of government. Some supporters of the movement believe that the German Empire of 1871 still exists, some others want to bring back Hitler’s Third Reich. Many members of the movement support right-wing, populist, antisemitic and Nazi ideologies. According to German government data, there are about 23,000 members in the Reichsbürger movement and 1,250 of those are part of the right-wing extremist scene. Around 400 members of the movement own weapons and around 2,300 members are considered to be prone to violence. It is also concerning that a significant number of the movement’s members are thought to be current or former soldiers who are highly trained and some of them legally possess firearms. (4)
German journalist Tobias Ginsburg, who has reported on Germany’s far-right scene, considers the Reichsbürger movement to be “extremely dangerous” and he is worried that the movement’s ideology can spread. He also pointed out that you can find similar thinking in the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party. (4) Jörg Meuthen, who was longest-serving leader of the AfD, left the party last year because according to him the party is becoming too far-right. He said, “The heart of the party today beats very far to the right, and at an elevated rate. I do see quite totalitarian echoes here.” (5) German terrorism experts have warned that a combination of the COVID pandemic, the war in Ukraine and Europe’s energy crisis has made the situation in the country more worrisome. After the members of the far-right coup plot were arrested, last year, professor Peter Neumann estimated, “We’re going to see more events like this. A well-connected swamp has emerged from the protests against the coronavirus pandemic policies and now this scene has been radicalized.” (6)
References:
1) “German police raids target group accused of far-right plot to overthrow state” The Guardian 7.12.2022
2) “Five charged over second alleged far-right plot against German government” The Guardian 23.1.2023
3) “German officer shot during raids targeting Reichsbürger movement” The Guardian 22.3.2023
4) “The far out, far-right plot that Germany is still trying to unravel” CNN 25.3.2023
https://edition.cnn.com/2023/03/25/europe/germany-reichsbuerger-movement-explainer-intl/index.html
5) “Far-right AfD chief Jörg Meuthen quits party” EURACTIV 28.1.2022
6) “Germans on the verge of a nervous breakdown” Politico 8.12.2022
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