City wants to set an example against "Reichsbürger" with a demonstration
With a self-organized counter-demonstration, the small Swabian town of Wemding wants to set an example against the local event of the "Reichsbürger" scene on Saturday. "Around 100 participants have announced their attendance," said a spokesperson for the local police when asked by the German Press Agency in Munich. The demonstration had initially been planned to take place from 2 p.m. in the immediate vicinity of the "Zukunftskongress Deutschland" event venue at the Hotel Wildbad, but was moved to a parking lot around three kilometers away "for security reasons" in agreement with the police.
"Democracy, the rule of law, human dignity and respect for basic rights are fundamental principles of our Basic Law and the Bavarian Constitution. These principles take on a special significance, especially in view of our history. We condemn anyone who questions these principles and call on them to refrain from these activities," wrote the town of Wemding in its call for the counter-demonstration.
Hundreds of "Reich Citizens" are expected to attend the three-day "Future Congress Germany" in Wemding (Donau-Ries district) this weekend. According to the Bavarian Office for the Protection of the Constitution, it is one of the largest meetings or seminars in the scene of the so-called "Reichsbürger" and self-administrators. The first two events of this kind took place in Thuringia in 2022 and 2023, with "participants in the lower three-digit range". It can therefore be assumed that "a similar number of people will take part" in Wemding.
According to the police, "everything remained calm" at the start of the event on Friday. "Reich citizens" are people who do not recognize the Federal Republic of Germany and its democratic structures. The Office for the Protection of the Constitution estimated that the "Reichsbürger" and "Selbstverwalter" scene had around 23,000 people across Germany in 2022, 2,000 more than in the previous year.
The district administration office had previously examined banning the gathering with the Bavarian Ministry of the Interior, to no avail. The congress will take place in the "Wildbad" hotel, which, according to the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, has already been a meeting place for people from the Reichsbürger and self-administration scene in the past. The hotel operator told Bayerischer Rundfunk: "Anyone who behaves properly and pays their bill is our guest." Right-wing extremists had never been there before. A spokesperson for the local police said that they would be present on site if the situation required it.
In response to the upcoming "Zukunftskongress Deutschland" event organized by the "Reichsbürger" scene, the Swabian town of Wemding is organizing a counter-demonstration to uphold democratic values. With increasing concerns around extremism, the local police will maintain a presence at the event to ensure security.
Source: www.dpa.com
