Germany bans the largest 'Reich citizen' group and arrests 4 leaders
Since early Tuesday, 800 police officers in several states have been searching the association's properties and the homes of leading members.
'The members of this association have created a 'counter-state' in our country and built up economic criminal structures,' Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said, adding that the members of the group underpinned their supposed claim to power with antisemitic conspiracy narratives — a behavior that the country can't tolerate.
'We will take decisive action against those who attack our free democratic basic order,' Dobrindt added.
The so-called Reich citizen, or Reichsbürger, movement doesn't recognize Germany as a state. Many of them claim that the historical German Reich still exists and ignore the country's democratic and constitutional structures such as parliament, laws or courts. They also refuse to pay taxes, social security contributions or fines.
The 'Kingdom of Germany' was proclaimed by its leader Peter Fitzek — who was among those arrested on Tuesday — in the eastern town of Wittenberg in 2012 and says it has around 6,000 followers, though the interior ministry said that the group has about 1,000 members. It claims to be a 'counter-state' that seceded from the German federal government.
'This is not about harmless nostalgics, as the title of the association might suggest, but about criminal structures, criminal networks," the minister told reporters later in Berlin. "That's why it's being banned today.'
The group's online platforms will be blocked and its assets will be confiscated to ensure that no further financial resources can be used for extremist purposes.
It's not the first time that Germany has acted against the 'Reichsbürger' movement.
In 2023, German police officers searched the homes of about 20 people in connection with investigations into the far-right Reich Citizens scene, whose adherents had similarities to followers of the QAnon movement in the United States.
Last year, the alleged leaders of a suspected far-right plot to topple Germany's government went on trial on Tuesday, opening proceedings in a case that shocked the country in late 2022.
Kirsten Grieshaber, The Associated Press
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
It's fiscal 2026. Do you know where your tax dollars are? Probably not.
The Rhode Island Public Expenditure Council called for more transparency in how state leaders and administrators track the outcomes of state-funded programs in a new report Wednesday. (Photo by Alexander Castro/Rhode Island Current) State spending in Rhode Island has surged. Public tracking of how state agencies and programs are using that money has not. And the Rhode Island Public Expenditure Council (RIPEC) is sounding the alarm as part of a new analysis of the state's fiscal 2026 budget published on Wednesday. The 49-page report by the business-backed research group reprises warnings of years past regarding unsustainable spending. This year's report features a sterner admonishment than usual over lack of transparency in how state administrators craft the budget, or monitor the results from multibillion-dollar spending. 'Despite a statutory requirement for agencies to include performance measures in their budget requests, the actual utilization of these measures in state budgeting decisions is unclear,' the report states. 'While [the Office of Management and Budget]'s Performance Management Unit is tasked with maintaining and updating these measures, much of their work is internally facing and public reporting on program effectiveness has been minimal. This limited public data makes it challenging for the public to evaluate how effectively tax dollars are being utilized for programs administered by state departments and agencies.' Derek Gomes, a spokesperson for the Rhode Island Department of Administration, which includes the state office, said in an emailed response that the budget office has worked to bolster agency performance reporting, which now includes 244 separate measures aligned with Gov. Dan McKee's long-term, RI 2030 state plan. Annual reports are published online, alongside quarterly updates, Gomes said. 'The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is committed to providing timely and accurate information about its roles in terms of developing the Governor's annual budget proposal and collecting performance metrics from state agencies,' Gomes said. 'OMB regularly posts information on state websites to include up-to-date agency budget instructions, quarterly budget reports, and agency performance data.' McKee's office did not immediately respond to inquiries for comment Wednesday. McKee let the spending plan take effect July 1 without his signature, an unprecedented move meant to symbolize his concerns with increased state taxes and fees. Legislative leaders continued to defend state spending in a joint statement Wednesday. 'We have a responsibility as elected leaders to invest in health care, education and housing for Rhode Islanders, especially as Republicans in Congress cut federal support for Medicaid and other programs to states,' House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi and Senate President Valarie Lawson said. They are still reviewing RIPEC's comments about public transparency, Larry Berman, a spokesperson for Shekarchi's office, said via email. The $14.3 billion fiscal 2026 budget features a record $5.81 billion in state general revenue, up 3.8% over the fiscal 2025 budget even though the total bottom line is less. The state share of spending is 13.8% higher than fiscal 2019, even when accounting for inflation, according to RIPEC's analysis. Meanwhile, the fiscal 2026 budget imposed new or higher taxes and fees on gasoline, property sales, high-value second homes, and health insurance, cementing the need for more open information sharing on how the extra funds are being spent, said Michael DiBiase, president and CEO of RIPEC. 'The tax burden has been going up, and people are paying for these things,' DiBiase said in an interview Wednesday. 'It's time to reflect on what we are getting for that money.' As a former state administration director under then-Gov. Gina Raimondo, DiBiase is more familiar than most with the behind-the-scenes components of the state budget process. Each year, state agencies submit an initial funding request to state budget-crunchers. The memos span hundreds of pages, with details on how agencies spent the last year's money, and justification on requests for more. The submissions are reviewed internally and used to shape the governor's initial spending plan, typically released at the beginning of the calendar year. Lawmakers then update and revise the governor's proposal to finalize a spending plan ahead of the July 1 start date. Agency budget submissions are available by request, but not otherwise released publicly. And follow-up reporting is also kept behind closed doors. 'That's a choice,' DiBiase said. 'Politically, it's more difficult to expose some of these things and talk about things that are working and not working.' But difficult choices must be made, especially as state revenue growth slows and federal budget cuts curtail aid to key programs like Medicaid and food assistance. The tax burden has been going up, and people are paying for these things. It's time to reflect on what we are getting for that money. – Michael DiBiase, president and CEO of the Rhode Island Public Expenditure Council Rhode Island House fiscal advisory staff projected a $304.3 million deficit for the next fiscal year, swelling to $462.1 million. The forecast does not include any impact from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which is expected to bring major changes to federal health and social services aid, as well as tax changes, over the next five years. How Rhode Island will fare amid forthcoming federal budget cuts remains under review by RIPEC and separately by a set of governmental advisory groups mandated to study and prepare for possible funding changes, reporting back to the Rhode Island General Assembly by Oct. 31. Among the biggest sources of concern for state lawmakers and budget analysts is how changes to federal Medicaid eligibility and funding will affect Rhode Island. The $4.9 billion in Medicaid funding included in Rhode Island's fiscal 2026 budget (from both federal and state sources) is more than one-third of the bottom line. Medicaid funding has steadily risen over the last eight years even though Rhode Islanders participation in the government-subsidized health care program fell, according to RIPEC's report. The $1.82 billion in state revenue directed toward Medicaid in fiscal 2026 is more than twice the 3.8% annual growth in state revenue. The spending includes extra money to increase reimbursement rates for primary care providers, nursing home workers, and hospitals in an attempt to lessen the gap between Rhode Island's low rates and the higher rates in neighboring states. Yet DiBiase questioned if more money was actually solving the problem, noting that commercial insurers have also proposed double-digit rate increases for next year. 'It just doesn't seem like the system is finding any relief,' DiBiase said. 'We're not really seeing, for the most part, where this money is going.' RIPEC's budget analysis also pointed to funding for K-12 education, despite fewer students, and on state employees (largely due to new bargaining agreements that include salary hikes and other benefits) as areas in need of more public financial reporting and reined-in spending. The report largely centered on what's wrong with state spending, and how to improve it. But RIPEC also offered praise to a pair of provisions tucked into the fiscal 2026 spending plan that will already make small strides in improving financial reporting. First, a change in the state Office of Internal Audit — in name and function — that expands the administrative power to subpoena and investigate potential fraud in state assistance programs, and recover misappropriated money. The fiscal 2026 budget offers $1.2 million extra money for two additional staffers to carry out the work of the rechristened Office of Internal Audit and Program Integrity. The current year's spending plan also provides a policy change to let the state Division of Taxation more effectively crack down on scofflaws with unpaid and overdue income and business taxes by putting levies on their assets. The access to out-of-state tax delinquents' bank accounts, coupled with the ability to put levies on their assets, is expected to bring in an extra $5.3 million in revenue this year. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Solve the daily Crossword
an hour ago
Trump's expansion of steel and aluminum tariffs could raise these prices
Price increases could hit tableware, motorcycles and assorted children's products as a result of the Trump administration's expansion of 50% steel and aluminum tariffs to an additional 400 goods, analysts said. The fresh levies, which took effect on Monday, extended tariffs on the metal products that Trump initially rolled out in March. Air-conditioning units, space heaters, high chairs, knives and some furniture items are among the products newly affected by tariffs. 'Basically, if it's shiny, metallic, or remotely related to steel or aluminum, it's probably on the list,' Brian Baldwin, vice president of customs at logistics company Kuehne + Nagel International AG, said in a post on LinkedIn. In a statement on Tuesday, the U.S. Commerce Department touted the new tariffs as means of preventing importers from finding workarounds. 'Today's action expands the reach of the steel and aluminum tariffs and shuts down avenues for circumvention – supporting the continued revitalization of the American steel and aluminum industries,' Under Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Security Jeffrey Kessler said. Importers typically offset the tax burden in the form of higher prices for shoppers, though so far tariff-induced price increases have proven marginal. The overall inflation rate stands at 2.7%, below the 3% rate in January, before Trump took office. In June, Trump ratcheted up a tax on all foreign steel and aluminum from 25% to 50%. The move this week expands those steep levies to hundreds of additional products. In all, the steel and aluminum tariffs now affect $320 billion worth of products, up from $190 billion prior to the expansion, Jason Miller, a professor of supply chain management at Michigan State University, told ABC News. In addition to consumer goods, the new levies will hit a range of imported raw materials like auto parts, construction equipment and farming machinery relied upon by domestic producers, Miller said. 'These tariffs will definitely affect U.S. manufacturers that import inputs,' Miller said, noting the added costs could filter their way into higher consumer prices. The 50% tariff will apply to the proportion of a good made up of imported steel or aluminum, Miller said. A Germany-made steak knife, for instance, would be tariffed at 50% for its steel content, while the remainder of the product's value would face a 15% universal levy for goods from the European Union, he added.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
US sanctions more ICC judges, prosecutors for probes into alleged American, Israeli war crimes
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is ramping up pressure on the International Criminal Court for pursuing investigations into U.S. and Israeli officials for alleged war crimes. The State Department on Wednesday announced new sanctions on four ICC officials, including two judges and two prosecutors, who it said had been instrumental in efforts to prosecute Americans and Israelis. As a result of the sanctions, any assets the targets hold in U.S. jurisdictions are frozen. The sanctions are just the latest in a series of steps the administration has taken against The Hague-based court, the world's first international war crimes tribunal. The U.S. has already imposed penalties on the ICC's former chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, who stepped aside in May pending an investigation into alleged sexual misconduct, and four other tribunal judges. In a statement, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he had taken action against ICC judges Kimberly Proust of Canada and Nicolas Guillou of France and prosecutors Nazhat Shameem Khan of Fiji and Mame Mandiaye Niang of Senegal. 'These individuals are foreign persons who directly engaged in efforts by the International Criminal Court to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute nationals of the United States or Israel, without the consent of either nation,' Rubio said. He added that the administration would continue 'to take whatever actions we deem necessary to protect our troops, our sovereignty, and our allies from the ICC's illegitimate and baseless actions.' In a separate statement, the State Department said Prost was hit for ruling to authorize an ICC investigation into U.S. personnel in Afghanistan, which was later dropped. Guillou was sanctioned for ruling to authorize the ICC's issuance of arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant related to Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza. Khan and Niang were penalized for continuing Karim Khan's investigation into Israel's actions in Gaza, including upholding the ICC's arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant, according to the statement. Wednesday's move carries on a history of Trump administration actions against the ICC, of which the U.S. is not a member, dating back to his first term in office. During Trump's first term, the U.S. hit the ICC with sanctions, but those were rescinded by President Joe Biden's administration in early 2021.
