Germany bans far-right ‘Kingdom of Germany’ group

A spokeswoman for Germany’s Federal Prosecutor’s Office stated the founder of the “Reich Citizens” subgroup “Kingdom of Germany,” Peter Fitzek, had been taken into custody on Thursday. Fitzek and three different suspected ringleaders of the group, half of a conspiracy theorist motion that rejects the legitimacy of the trendy German republic, had been arrested.What do we all know concerning the ‘Kingdom of Germany’ arrests?Police on Tuesday carried out raids on the properties of key members of the group in seven German states, making 4 arrests. The swoop got here after Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt banned what’s at the moment the most important group of so-called Reich Citizens. He accused the “Kingdom of Germany” of making an attempt to determine a “counter-state” inside Germany.Security authorities consider Fitzek to have based the group in 2012, ruling because the self-declared monarch of the “Kingdom.”Justifying the ban on the group, Dobrindt stated, “The members of this association have created a ‘counter-state’ in our country and built up criminal economic structures.”“In this way, they undermine the rule of law and the Federal Republic’s monopoly on the legitimate use of force,” he added. “At the identical time, they use antisemitic conspiracy narratives to again up their supposed declare to authority.” The ban additionally contains related splinter teams.What is the ‘Kingdom of Germany’ group?According to Dobrindt, the “Kingdom of Germany” group, which reportedly has round 6,000 members, is the largest affiliation inside the Reichsbürger scene, whose supporters deny the legitimacy of Germany’s post-World War II Federal Republic.This angle leads some members to refuse calls for made by authorized authorities, similar to fines and taxes. They have additionally been identified to print their very own passports and driver’s licenses.Security authorities in Germany have paid elevated consideration to the motion lately amid fears of its violent potential.Most notably, a plot to overthrow the German authorities was uncovered in late 2022. Its planners are stated to have meant to raid the German parliament and arrest key politicians earlier than putting in an interim authorities.Some 27 individuals had been charged in reference to the plot, and 380 firearms had been discovered. Three main trials on terrorism and conspiracy expenses started in late April 2024.The Tuesday raids occurred in Baden-Württemberg, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia.