“The group’s goals and activities violate criminal law and are directed against the constitutional order,” the ministry said. Dobrindt hailed the move as “a severe blow” to Reichsbürger extremists, whose adherents deny the legitimacy of the Federal Republic and claim sovereignty for the pre‑1945 German Reich.
Dawn raids, four arrests
About 800 police officers searched 20 properties across seven Länder—Baden‑Württemberg, Lower Saxony, North Rhine‑Westphalia, Rhineland‑Palatinate, Saxony, Saxony‑Anhalt and Thuringia—seizing documents, computers and cash.
Four men were detained, including Peter Fitzek, 59, a former chef and martial‑arts instructor who in 2012 proclaimed himself “King Peter I” and issued his own passports and currency.
‘Counter‑state’ with antisemitic conspiracy claims
The interior ministry said Fitzek’s network had roughly 6,000 followers and ran unlicensed financial services that defrauded members. “They justified their supposed right to rule with antisemitic conspiracy narratives,” Dobrindt added.
‘Reichsbürger’ threat rising
Reichsbürger (“Citizens of the Reich”) are estimated at more than 23,000 nationwide, with 2,000 deemed violent.
Three separate trials are under way for an alleged 2022 coup plot led by aristocrat Heinrich XIII Prinz Reuss.
The movement also disputes Germany’s current eastern border, which was fixed after World War II and places parts of today’s western Poland inside the former Reich.
Tuesday’s ban permits authorities to seize the group’s assets and dissolve its front companies. German law allows the interior minister to outlaw organizations deemed extremist and anti‑constitutional.
Next steps
Prosecutors said the suspects will appear before a judge on Wednesday. Further raids are expected as investigators track money flows and membership lists.
“Anyone who tries to replace our democracy with their own fantasy kingdom will feel the full force of the rule of law,” Dobrindt said.
(jh)
Source: PAP, Euronews, The Times, AP News, Jerusalem Post, POLITICO