Germany bans far-right group linked to Reich Citizens movement
German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt has banned the far-right group "Kingdom of Germany," a prominent faction of the country's Reich Citizens movement, with four of its alleged ringleaders detained during raids across several German states.
The organization, which reportedly has around 6,000 followers, has been accused of establishing a "counter-state" and building "criminal economic structures."
Four German men, aged between 37 and 59, were taken into custody, including the group's founder, Peter Fitzek, a spokeswoman for the public prosecutor's office said.
Later on Tuesday, an investigating judge at the Federal Court of Justice in Karlsruhe ruled that one of the four suspects will be remanded in custody, with the other three - including Fitzek - yet to appear before the judge, according to a spokeswoman.
Who are the Reich Citizens?
Reich Citizens is an umbrella term used to describe a diffuse group of German residents who do not recognize the authority of the current system of government.
The movement has no official structure and consists of several groupings, with "Kingdom of Germany" currently the most prominent.
Reich Citizens - or Reichsbürger - are generally considered to belong to the extreme right, though the movements do not align completely.
Many of the group's followers maintain that the German Reich proclaimed in 1871 still exists. They do not recognize modern-day democratic and constitutional structures such as parliament, laws or courts.
They also refuse to pay taxes, social security contributions or fines.
Reich Citizens groups have engaged in violent and criminal activities and are being monitored by Germany's domestic intelligence agency as extremist organizations.
In 2023, the agency estimated some 25,000 people were part of the movement.
Most prominently, the alleged ringleaders of a group surrounding Prince Heinrich XIII of Reuss - a descendant of a noble German family whose title carries no formal weight - were arrested in December 2022 over an alleged planned coup attempt.
Crackdown on 'Kingdom of Germany'
The "Kingdom of Germany" group was founded in 2012 by Fitzek, who was born in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt.
Announcing the ban, Interior Minister Dobrindt said that the group's members used anti-Semitic conspiracy theories to support their claimed sovereignty, adding that such behaviour cannot be tolerated in a state governed by the rule of law.
According to the Interior Ministry, police have been conducting raids since early Tuesday on properties owned by key members, including in the states of Baden-Württemberg, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia.
It also said the group has for years operated illegal banking and insurance businesses through affiliated entities.
"The 'Kingdom of Germany' is characterized by a decidedly profit-oriented focus," the ministry said, adding that members have carried out unauthorized banking and insurance transactions for years via sub-organizations.
Alleged ringleader Fitzek has been convicted several times including for driving without a licence and conducting illegal banking transactions.
He was also sentenced by a district court to a total of eight months' imprisonment for intentional assault and insult.
According to prosecutors, as the "supreme sovereign" Fitzek was responsible for determining the ideological orientation of the group and issued his own "laws."
Two of the detained men served as his deputies while the fourth man was responsible for the group's finances.
As part of the ban, authorities have confiscated the group's assets and shut down its online presence.
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