Photo by Ingo Joseph
The German government has officially banned the largest group associated with the Reich Citizens movement — an extremist far-right organisation that operates under the name “Kingdom of Germany” and openly seeks to dismantle the nation’s democratic framework. In a coordinated operation, four of the group’s senior leaders were arrested on Tuesday.
From early Tuesday morning, hundreds of security personnel conducted raids across several German states, targeting the group’s properties and residences of key members. The extensive action reflects the government’s increasing resolve to crack down on groups that pose a threat to the constitutional order.
According to German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt, members of the organisation have attempted to establish a parallel state within Germany and have engaged in systemic economic crime. “These individuals have created a shadow state in our country, complete with criminal economic networks,” Dobrindt said. He further stated that the group’s ideological foundation includes antisemitic conspiracy theories, a stance the federal government considers utterly intolerable. “We will respond decisively against anyone who challenges our free, democratic constitutional state,” he emphasized.
The broader Reichsbürger, or “Reich citizen,” movement, to which the Kingdom of Germany belongs, fundamentally rejects the legitimacy of the Federal Republic of Germany. Many adherents assert that the German Reich still exists in its historical form and refuse to acknowledge Germany’s current democratic institutions — including its parliament, legal system, and constitution. Members of this movement often refuse to comply with civic obligations such as paying taxes, social security contributions, or legal fines.
Founded by self-proclaimed leader Peter Fitzek, who was among those arrested in the eastern city of Wittenberg on Tuesday, the “Kingdom of Germany” was declared in 2012. According to the German Interior Ministry, the group currently claims around 6,000 followers and purports to have seceded from the German federal system. Authorities have announced that the organisation’s digital platforms will be taken offline and its financial assets seized to prevent the continuation of any extremist activities.
This week’s ban and arrests are not the first time German authorities have acted against Reichsbürger groups. In 2023, police raided the homes of around 20 individuals linked to the far-right movement, as part of an ongoing investigation into the network’s activities. The movement, with ideological similarities to the U.S.-based QAnon conspiracy theory, has been under increasing scrutiny.
Notably, in late 2022, Germany was rocked by the exposure of an alleged far-right coup plot involving members of the Reich Citizens scene. Last year, the suspected ringleaders of this plot stood trial, marking the beginning of legal proceedings in a case that deeply unsettled the German public.
