Reichsbürger ringleaders on trial for planning violent government overthrow

Movement claims modern German state illegitimate, linked to antisemitism
Key trial figures: Heinrich XIII Prince Reuss, ex-judge Birgit Malsack-Winkemann

The trials of individuals who are purportedly associated with the Reichsbürger movement are currently in progress, and those who are accused of being ringleaders are scheduled to appear before judges.

It is alleged that plotters devised a plan to overthrow the German government violently.

According to investigators, conspiracy theorists were under the impression that the government was being administered by a “deep state.”

The Frankfurt hearing on Tuesday is the most high-profile of three trials initiated in response to the nationwide investigations that occurred in 2022.

The case is regarded as highly significant due to its magnitude and the potential insights it could provide into far-right networks.

A nebulous, disparate group known as the Reichsbürger, or citizens of the Reich, denies the legitimacy of the modern German state, even asserting that it was established by the victorious Allied powers following World War Two.

The movement, which exhibits “antisemitic attitudes” and a “high affinity” for weapons, is believed to be followed by approximately 23,000 individuals, according to domestic intelligence.

There is a claim that individuals associated with the Reichsbürger devised strategies for an armed group to enter the national parliament in Berlin and apprehend MPs on “Day X.

The indictment indicates that there were discussions regarding the potential significance of the late Queen Elizabeth II’s demise.

Heinrich XIII Prince Reuss, a former real estate developer from Frankfurt who is a descendant of an aristocratic family, the House of Reuss, will be the subject of much attention in this trial.

It is purported that the 72-year-old held meetings of the group’s “central council” at his residence in eastern Germany and was designated as the “head of state” in the event of a successful revolution.

As stated in the indictment, he would have been accountable for negotiating a peace treaty with the Allies. Additionally, he had visited the Russian consulate in Leipzig as part of his efforts to establish communication with Moscow.

Birgit Malsack-Winkemann, a former judge and MP for the far-right Alternative for Deutschland party, is also on trial.

Prosecutors allege that she utilized her access to parliamentary properties to “smuggle” in co-conspirators to survey the area. Additionally, she was responsible for the justice department on the group’s central council.

The takeover of institutions at the state and local levels was a component of their designs to reorganize Germany’s political structures. It is purported that the members were aware of the fact that this would “entail the killing of individuals.”

The new order was to be enforced nationwide by a “military arm” that consisted of 286 units, while the “council” was to serve as the central body.

According to prosecutors, the organization possessed a “huge arsenal” of weapons, which included firearms, ammunition, night vision devices, and restraints.

According to the indictment, the association also possessed financial assets of approximately 500,000 euros.

It is claimed that members have become “increasingly isolated” from the outside world as time has passed.

According to Jan Rathje, a senior researcher at the extremism surveillance agency CeMAS, conspiratorial, sovereigntist movements can be traced back to the desire of certain former Nazis to reestablish a National Socialist German Reich.

He asserts that the Reichsbürger movement, which has a violent, far-right tradition, has been grossly undervalued.

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“People always believed that these individuals were insane and were merely composing irrational letters to the government,” he continues.

Mr. Rathje asserts that individuals could have sustained severe injuries despite the fact that the purported coup attempt was unlikely to have succeeded.

“This would have been a success for these radical forces on a symbolic level, as they would have violently attacked the government, potentially perpetuating the notion that the government is weak.”

Due to the magnitude of the case, the trials have been divided into three phases and are being conducted in Stuttgart, Frankfurt, and Munich.