Fact:
On August 23, 2017, Boko Haram insurgents attacked several villages in northern Nigeria’s Borno State. The extremists shot at villagers and slit their throats, killing 27 people and wounding at least 6 others.
Media portrayals of the movement indicate there is no consistent ideology endorsed by the Reichsbürger movement. However, the group is often described as running on a fantasy. The German publication Deutsche Welle labeled its members “crackpots.”Rina Goldenberg, “What is Germany's 'Reichsbürger' movement?,” Deutsche Welle, May 17, 2023, https://www.dw.com/en/what-is-germanys-reichsb%C3%BCrger-movement/a-36094740. The Wall Streeet Journal reiterated the narrative that the group was not taken seriously, as authorities claimed that members of the Reichsbürger were just “radical libertarians—a fringe yet unthreatening subculture.”Bojan Pancevski, “German Government Moves Against Fringe Far-Right Group,” Wall Street Journal, March 19, 2020, https://www.wsj.com/articles/german-government-moves-against-fringe-far-right-group-11584635090. BBC News did not dismiss the conspiracy-driven rhetoric of the group and also suggested the group is more of a cult than a genuine political or ideological movement.Jenny Hill, “The self-proclaimed kingdom that doesn't recognise Germany,” BBC News, December 9, 2022, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-63916812.
Extremists: Their Words. Their Actions.
Fact:
On August 23, 2017, Boko Haram insurgents attacked several villages in northern Nigeria’s Borno State. The extremists shot at villagers and slit their throats, killing 27 people and wounding at least 6 others.
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