Is Prince Reuß and his "Reichsbürger" just a bunch of eccentrics?

Prince Reuß and His "Reichsbürger": Could They All Be Considered Nutcases?

A group, spearheaded by a 72-year-old real estate entrepreneur named Henry XIII Prince Reuss, from Hesse, reportedly has been plotting to overthrow the German government and create their own state. This band of followers, composed predominantly of men between 40 and 70, anticipate receiving a signal on a fateful day "X" from a non-existent alliance. On said day, they intend to lay siege to the Reichstag, capturing members of parliament while circumventing police officers and security personnel. Well-armed, they envision ruling the 83 million residents of Germany with a rigid autocratic regime headed by the real estate mogul.

The allegations leveled against the "Citizens of the Reich" network by the Attorney General's Office may appear comical, if not utterly preposterous. However, this seemingly harmless image is far from reality.

The trial for their alleged conspiracy is one of the most extensive state protection cases in the Federal Republic of Germany's history. It's been divided into three court cases: the Stuttgart Higher Regional Court was the first out of the gate in late April, and the alleged leaders will be presented before the Frankfurt Higher Regional Court sometime in the near future. A total of nine individuals, including well-known members of the Reuss faction, are to face charges: Henry XIII Prince Reuss, former AfD MP Birgit Malsack-Winkemann, and former Bundeswehr commander, Rüdiger von Pescatore.

Confronting Evil: Something to Achieve It

Despite the bizarre nature of the allegations, the German legal system will devote considerable resources to the so-called "putsch prince" and his associates. The investigation into their supposed plans is of epic scale. While the accused never implemented their vague fantasies, there's a rationale behind this overwhelming response from the authorities.

Those considered "Citizens of the Reich" dispute Germany's sovereignty and question the democratic order. In fact, they contradict the rule of law and seek their own state system. The group also contends that politicians don't truly govern the country but are puppets of a mysterious Deep State, intended to subjugate the German population. Miro Dittrich, a right-wing extremism researcher at CEMAS, deems this ideology as sovereignism. When actions stem from this belief, he says, it becomes dangerous, regardless of its compatibility with the law.

Consequences of Fighting Evil

Innocuous measures like issuing self-made passports to demonstrate autonomy and refusing to pay taxes or traffic tickets are commonplace. However, the extremity doesn't stop there.

According to a CEMAS report published last year, the sovereignists' belief in "a final decisive battle between the forces of good and evil" shapes their actions. In their minds, this clash is an all-or-nothing scenario: only salvation or the downfall of their own group is possible. Subsequently, they justify the use of violence.

The sobering reality is that representatives of the "Citizens of the Reich" have shown they wouldn't hesitate to adopt lethal tactics. In 2016, for example, a "Citizen of the Reich" fatally shot a police officer in Georgensgmünd, Bavaria, as authorities arrived to seize weapons. A defendant from the Reuss group did not hesitate to pull out his weapon and aim it at police officers when they searched his house. This individual is the only one in the Reuss group facing additional charges of attempted murder.

"Numerous individuals perceive themselves as at war with the occupying forces, claims right-wing extremism expert Dittrich. To them, authorities, such as police officers, are merely puppets of these occupiers – they need to be resisted. 'The Reuß group, on the other hand, represents a continuation of this trend,' highlights the expert. 'Based on the indictment, they were not seeking merely to fight,' he stresses. 'They aimed to depose the alleged occupiers through terrorist activities.'

The Attorney General's Office believes that Reuß and his followers accepted casualties and injuries. Not only that, concrete enemy lists and plans for 'cleansing operations' were reportedly discovered within the group. Just a short while ago, one of the suspects disclosed his spying activities on the halls beneath the Bundestag. Furthermore, the network purportedly had a well-equipped arsenal of weapons.

While the mere possession of weapons poses little danger, an alarming development is the prevalence of right-wing extremists and Reich citizens (those who wish to overthrow the government) seeking personnel with combat experience. Dittrich remarks, 'We have been noticing for some time that right-wing extremists and Reich citizens – those who want to dismantle the state – have an increasing recruitment pool in the German security services.' Apparently, these extremist groups have been successful in their attempts to enlist individuals with military expertise.

Rising dangers

In the case of the Reuß group, this seems to have been the case: as per the indictment, several ex-soldiers were involved alongside two police officers. The indictment also asserts that they had good connections to the KSK, the counter-terror unit of the German military. Dittrich emphasizes, 'These connections are possible due to a widespread issue that has been ignored for far too long.'

Recently, the Reichsbürger community has garnered more attention from security agencies. The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution forecasts that there will be approximately 23,000 people in 2022 – a figure indicating a considerable increase from 2016. However, the political scientists at CEMAS predict an even larger number. This is due to the fact that the Office for the Protection of the Constitution counts only verified instances, while the extent of the Reichsbürger ideology could be undisclosed through Telegram channels alone.

The pandemic's influence

The pandemic played a significant role in the rise of this milieu. The political scientists at CEMAS argue that this was essentially beneficial for the Reichsbürger scene, as the conspiracies around elites orchestrating events resonated stronger during periods of lockdown, crises, and high uncertainty. Additionally, the lateral-thinking protests became handy platforms for spreading the ideology.

Ultimately, it's hardly surprising that two major 'Reichsbürger' networks surfaced during the pandemic. Alongside the aforementioned Reuß group, known as the Patriotic Union, the United Patriots emerged in the autumn of 2021. They too allegedly aimed to overthrow the German government, and numerous members are now on trial over terrorism charges.

The plans of the United Patriots involved a widespread power blackout and the abduction of Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach. The objective was to instigate civil war-like conditions, eventually leading to the introduction of a new constitution based on the German Empire's model.

The tipping point

The details of their alleged coup plans differ, but the commonalities between the Reuß supporters and the United Patriots are striking: both groups fantasized about a specific day in the future when they could seize control. Former soldiers were present in both groups, and both networks were deeply entrenched in right-wing circles. Furthermore, the Patriotic Union and the United Patriots had their respective 'leaders' – Heinrich XIII Reuß for the former, 76-year-old Elisabeth S. for the latter.

The United Patriots and the Reuß group had contact – as the trial against the members of the United Patriots at Koblenz Higher Regional Court revealed. Several conversations between the organizations' members were brought up. They were alleged to have shared excitement over the impending 'national liberation.' In the end, it was the connection between the two groups that caught investigators' attention. The members of the United Patriots were attempting to recruit experienced fighters from the Reuß group."

"It's evident: both groups were ready to carry out their suspected coup plans, were considerable in size, had connections to the military, and had weapons. 'These individuals were essentially just waiting for the opportune moment to strike,' summarizes Dittrich. 'Hence, the German state faced a considerable terrorism threat.'"

The higher regional courts are responsible for determining the level of concrete threat that the networks posed. While there's uncertainty about whether German democracy was ever truly in danger, the indictment details suggest that the image of harmless pensioners isn't accurate. It's important to note that individuals committed to planning and preparing acts of violence are not merely harmless eccentrics, but rather a genuine threat to human lives.