Germany Bans Far-Right ‘Kingdom of Germany’ Group, Arrests Four Leaders

The German government on Tuesday banned the country’s largest “Reich citizen” group, known as the “Kingdom of Germany,” an extremist far-right organization that seeks to undermine the country’s democratic order, The Associated Press reports.

Four of the group’s leaders, including its founder, were arrested during early morning raids.

Hundreds of law enforcement officers carried out coordinated searches across multiple German states, targeting the group’s properties and the homes of key members. Authorities say the group had created a so-called “counter-state” within Germany, complete with its own institutions and financial systems.

“The members of this association have created a ‘counter-state’ in our country and built up economic criminal structures,” Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said Tuesday.

He added that the organization’s ideology is rooted in antisemitic conspiracy theories — behavior he said Germany “cannot tolerate.”

“We will take decisive action against those who attack our free democratic basic order,” Dobrindt added.

The Reichsbürger, or “Reich citizen,” movement rejects the legitimacy of the modern German state, claiming instead that the historical German Reich still exists. Adherents often refuse to pay taxes, ignore court rulings, and reject democratic institutions such as parliament and the constitution.

The “Kingdom of Germany” group was established in 2012 by Peter Fitzek in the eastern town of Wittenberg. According to the Interior Ministry, the group claims to have around 6,000 followers and has long portrayed itself as a breakaway sovereign entity.

In addition to the arrests, German authorities announced that the group’s online platforms will be blocked and its financial assets confiscated to prevent further support for extremist activities.

This is not the first time the German government has cracked down on the Reichsbürger scene. In 2023, police raided the homes of around 20 individuals linked to the movement as part of an ongoing investigation into its far-right activities. The Reichsbürger ideology has been compared to that of the QAnon conspiracy movement in the United States.

Last year, Germany also began the trial of several individuals accused of plotting to overthrow the government in an alleged coup attempt that shocked the country in late 2022.