Executive Summary

The Reichsbürger movement is a network of groups that rejects the Federal Republic of Germany and its legal system. Certain streams of the movement believe the German Empire still exists, but it is occupied by illegitimate powers.Jakob Guhl and Dominik Hammer, “The Reichsbürger Movement,” Institute for Strategic Dialogue, https://www.isdglobal.org/explainers/the-Reichsbürger-movement-explainer/.

Although the movement does not have a confirmed founding date, iterations have existed since the 1960s. In 1975, however, Manfred Roeder and other right-wing extremists established the Freiheitsbewegung Deutsches Reich (Freedom-Movement German Reich) in Flensburg. Roeder served as the spokesman for the group, which believed that since no peace treaty was ratified by Germany and its enemies after World War II, the Federal Republic of Germany is illegitimate. Roeder eventually assumed the title of “Reich President.”Armin Pfahl-Traughber, “Reichsbürger,” Brandenburgisches Institut für Gemeinwesenberatung, 2017, https://publikationen.sachsen.de/bdb/artikel/25143/documents/46045.

The movement continued to branch out, and in 1985, Wolfgang Gerhard Günther Ebel established the Kommissarische Reichsregierung” (KRR).Armin Pfahl-Traughber, “Reich Citizen,” Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, https://www.kas.de/en/web/extremismus/rechtsextremismus/reichsbuerger. Ebel declared himself Reichschancellor of the “provisional government of the German Reich” and gained a following of ideologically aligned individuals.Alexander Ritzmann, “The December 2022 German Reichsbürger Plot to Overthrow the German Government,” Combating Terrorism Center at West Point, https://ctc.westpoint.edu/the-december-2022-german-Reichsbürger-plot-to-overthrow-the-german-government/. The KRR was the first official permanent organization subscribing to what is now considered the ideology of the Reichsbürger movement. Shortly after the KRR came into being, infighting led to the formation of splinter groups that called themselves “imperial governments.” As Ebel described himself as the Reichschancellor, subsequent faction leaders adopted this lexicon and referred to themselves as “Reich Chancellor” or “Reich Minister.”Armin Pfahl-Traughber, “Reich Citizen,” Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, https://www.kas.de/en/web/extremismus/rechtsextremismus/reichsbuerger.

As the movement denies the sovereignty of modern Germany, members refuse to pay taxes, and have self-established “national territories.”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. By the 2010s, some members acquired land for their “national territories,” complete with their own governments, currencies, and even armies.“Reichsbürger: German 'crackpot' movement turns radical and dangerous,” BBC News, December 7, 2022, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-63889792. Some movement members are zealous in their fealty to the German Reich and have gone so far as to shun national documents in favor of manufacturing their own IDs and passports.“Facts and figures,” Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz, https://www.verfassungsschutz.de/DE/themen/reichsbuerger-und-selbstverwalter/zahlen-und-fakten/zahlen-und-fakten_node.html;jsessionid=C349379321B9090E438EC7FD31959181.internet271. The movement does not have a central office. However, most groups are scattered throughout the south and east of the country.Christopher F. Schuetze, “Germany Shuts Down Far-Right Clubs That Deny the Modern State,” New York Times, March 19, 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/19/world/europe/germany-reich-citizens-ban.html.

Primary opposition is directed at the modern German state and those who are considered representatives of the post-war government, such as politicians and bureaucrats. While their opposition is focused on those who uphold the German state, the movement also rejects and strongly objects to those they do not consider to be a part of the country.Christopher F. Schuetze, “Germany Shuts Down Far-Right Clubs That Deny the Modern State,” New York Times, March 19, 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/19/world/europe/germany-reich-citizens-ban.html. Although the movement is vocal in their denunciation of the German federal government, German authorities first dismissed the group as a legitimate threat and instead categorized them as eccentric and unusual. However, following a lethal altercation in November 2016, Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere announced that Reich citizens would be observed by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution and the federal states as a right-wing extremist movement due to the group’s defining characteristics of racism, antisemitism, violence, and the rejection of democracy.“"Reichsbürger" werden von Verfassungsschutz beobachtet,” Reuters, November 22, 2016, https://www.reuters.com/article/deutschland-verfassungsschutz-reichsb-rg-idDEKBN13H1Y0; “Reichsbürger, Die,” Brandenburg State Center for Civic Education, https://www.politische-bildung-brandenburg.de/lexikon/reichsbuerger-die.

Included among the movement are neo-Nazis, conspiracy theorists, gun enthusiasts, and former soldiers united by a “deep rejection” of German state institutions.Jakob Guhl and Dominik Hammer, “The Reichsbürger Movement,” Institute for Strategic Dialogue, https://www.isdglobal.org/explainers/the-Reichsbürger-movement-explainer/; “ICYMI: CEP Senior Director Explains Group Plotting German Coup,” Counter Extremism Project, December 10, 2022, https://www.counterextremism.com/press/icymi-cep-senior-director-explains-group-plotting-german-coup. According to 2022 figures, Reichsbürger boasts a following of around 23,000 members throughout Germany. Of that figure, around 5 percent are considered right-wing extremists, and about 2,300 are considered violent.“Brief summary 2022 Report on the Protection of the Constitution,” Bundesministerium des Innern und für Heimat, June 2023, https://www.verfassungsschutz.de/SharedDocs/publikationen/EN/reports-on-the-protection-of-the-constitution/2023-06-brief-summary-2022-report-on-the-protection-of-the-constitution.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=4. Those same figures suggest that 400 Reichsbürger and Selbstverwalter (sovereign citizens) movement members had gun permits, which could prove deadly if they are willing to use violence to achieve their goals.“Facts and figures,” Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz, https://www.verfassungsschutz.de/DE/themen/reichsbuerger-und-selbstverwalter/zahlen-und-fakten/zahlen-und-fakten_node.html;jsessionid=C349379321B9090E438EC7FD31959181.internet271.

The movement has not been without violent activity. Most violence occurs after police raids, or when law enforcement confronts Reichsbürger supporters for evading the law. In previous instances, a police officer was shot and killed following a raid on a Reichsbürger member’s home and another police officer was injured after an inebriated Reichsbürger member ran him over to escape arrest.“Reichsbürger: German 'crackpot' movement turns radical and dangerous,” BBC News, December 7, 2022, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-63889792. Members are also accused of harassing and threatening political representatives and civil servants, such as bailiffs, police officers, and judges, and have also sent hate letters to Muslim and Jewish institutions.Christopher E. Scheutze, “Germany Shuts Down Far-Right Clubs That Deny the Modern State,” New York Times, March 19, 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/19/world/europe/germany-reich-citizens-ban.html; “Just Harmless Lunatics? The “Reichsbürger” Movement in Germany,” Council for European Studies, October 1, 2018, https://www.europenowjournal.org/2018/10/01/just-harmless-lunatics-the-Reichsbürger-movement-in-germany/.

Other streams of the movement have attempted nationwide plots. In one instance, in October 2022, German police arrested a former civil servant on charges of leading a terrorist organization and plotting an attack on the national power grid to create civil war-like conditions in Germany.Anna Noryskiewicz, “ Germany arrests dozens as QAnon-inspired "Reichsbürger" group accused of plotting to overthrow government,” CBS News, December 7, 2022, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/germany-terror-plot-prince-heinrich-Reichsbürger-alleged-qanon-inspired-coup/; “Brief summary 2022 Report on the Protection of the Constitution,” Bundesministerium des Innern und für Heimat, June 2023, https://www.verfassungsschutz.de/SharedDocs/publikationen/EN/reports-on-the-protection-of-the-constitution/2023-06-brief-summary-2022-report-on-the-protection-of-the-constitution.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=4. Another scheme, and perhaps the most significant to date, occurred in December 2022 when members of the Reichsbürger affiliate Patriotic Union were arrested and charged with attempting to overthrow the German government.Zahid Mahmood and Chris Stern, “Germany arrests 25 suspected far-right extremists for plotting to overthrow government,” CNN, December 7, 2022, https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/07/europe/germany-far-right-arrests-grm-intl/index.html. While only 25 people were detained, the Federal Prosecutor’s Office accused approximately 50 men and women of forming a terrorist organization with the intent of threatening the sovereignty of the Federal Republic of Germany.“Germany arrests 25 accused of plotting coup,” BBC News, December 7, 2022, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-63885028.

Doctrine

Though it is a movement that is more of a network than a single group, the foundational belief of all divisions is the denial of the Federal Republic of Germany as a legal state. Specifically, groups generally agree that no official peace treaty was signed after 1945 and that there was never a referendum on the 1949 Basic Law of Germany. The movement perpetuates the idea that a German Reich still exists but is in a “slumber” as it is currently occupied by the Federal Republic of Germany.“Gemeinsam Gegen Extremismus,” Bayerische Informationsstelle gegen Extremismus, https://www.bige.bayern.de/infos_zu_extremismus/aktuelle_meldungen/im-fokus-die-ideologie-der-reichsbuerger-und-selbstverwalter/. As the movement has no central core or parameters for group classification, German authorities have classified Selbstverwalter (sovereign citizens)—another group that rejects the Federal Republic of Germany and seeks to claim territorial autonomy—as a partner of the Reichsbürger movement.“Concept and manifestations,” Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz, https://www.verfassungsschutz.de/DE/themen/reichsbuerger-und-selbstverwalter/begriff-und-erscheinungsformen/begriff-und-erscheinungsformen_node.html.

Not all Reichsbürger are right-wing extremists. Figures released in 2022 figures suggest about 5 percent adhere to the ideology.“Facts and figures,” Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz, https://www.verfassungsschutz.de/DE/themen/reichsbuerger-und-selbstverwalter/zahlen-und-fakten/zahlen-und-fakten_node.html;jsessionid=C349379321B9090E438EC7FD31959181.internet271. However, consistent among the movement are conspiracy theory argumentation patterns.“Concept and manifestations,” Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz, https://www.verfassungsschutz.de/DE/themen/reichsbuerger-und-selbstverwalter/begriff-und-erscheinungsformen/begriff-und-erscheinungsformen_node.html. Divisions of the movement believe the Federal Republic is not a government, but a corporation called the BRD GmbH (Federal Republic of Germany Limited Liability Company).“Facts and figures,” Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz, https://www.verfassungsschutz.de/DE/themen/reichsbuerger-und-selbstverwalter/zahlen-und-fakten/zahlen-und-fakten_node.html;jsessionid=C349379321B9090E438EC7FD31959181.internet271.Although the movement rejects the state and denounces German state law as non-binding, the movement has not established a single central authority, be it an individual or an entity.Philip Oltermann, “Germany fears radicalisation of Reichsbürger movement after police attacks,” Guardian, October 21, 2016, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/oct/21/germany-fears-radicalisation-of-Reichsbürger-group-after-attacks-on-police.

Conspiracy theories and historical revisionism have proved motivational for the movement. Conspiracy narratives perpetuated by the Reichsbürger include the fallacy of a Jewish “New World Order.” During the COVID-19 pandemic, elements of Reichsbürger supported other right-wing extremists and QAnon believers, like the Querdenker movement, protesting vaccinations and lockdowns.Marcel Fürstenau, “Germany's Querdenker COVID protest movement,” Deutsche Welle, April 3, 2021, https://www.dw.com/en/meet-germanys-querdenker-covid-protest-movement/a-57049985. One demonstration in Berlin in August 2020 involved 300-400 rioters out of 38,000 participants. They occupied the seat of the German Federal Parliament, which resulted in violent altercations that led to 316 arrests and injured 33 police officers.Alexander Ritzmann, “The December 2022 German Reichsbürger Plot to Overthrow the German Government,” Countering Terrorism Center at Westpoint, March 2023, https://ctc.westpoint.edu/the-december-2022-german-Reichsbürger-plot-to-overthrow-the-german-government/.

Following the notorious December 2022 attempted coup of the German government, media sources claimed that “QAnon ideology”—a U.S.- based conspiracy movement that believes “a group of Satan-worshipping elites” running a child sex ring are trying to control politics and mediaKevin Roose, “What Is QAnon, the Viral Pro-Trump Conspiracy Theory?,” New York Times, September 3, 2021, https://www.nytimes.com/article/what-is-qanon.html.—served as an important source of inspiration for the group. In particular, the attempted coup followers believed liberal elites of the “Deep State” ruled Germany, and a secret alliance between the United States and Russia would soon liberate the country. Following this alleged liberation, the group would then negotiate and ratify a “peace treaty”—a cornerstone of Reichsbürger ideology—with the conglomerate of Reichsbürger groups. Jakob Guhl and Dominik Hammer, “The Reichsbürger Movement,” Institute for Strategic Dialogue, https://www.isdglobal.org/explainers/the-Reichsbürger-movement-explainer/.

Organizational Structure

Despite more than 23,000 members across Germany, it is unclear how the movement is organized or divided.“Brief summary 2022 Report on the Protection of the Constitution,” Bundesministerium des Innern und für Heimat, June 2023, https://www.verfassungsschutz.de/SharedDocs/publikationen/EN/reports-on-the-protection-of-the-constitution/2023-06-brief-summary-2022-report-on-the-protection-of-the-constitution.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=4. The movement does not have a central office, but most groups are scattered throughout the south and east of the country.Christopher F. Schuetze, “Germany Shuts Down Far-Right Clubs That Deny the Modern State,” New York Times, March 19, 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/19/world/europe/germany-reich-citizens-ban.html. Figures from 2016 estimated around 50 self-described “governments in exile” with leaders adopting monarchic titles. For example, there were about 30 Reichsbürger “chancellors”Bojan Pancevski, “Rise of ‘new Reich army’ sparks alarm in Germany,” Times (London), October 29, 2016, https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/rise-of-new-reich-army-sparks-alarm-in-germany-xmd7jc9b7. Reportedly, the counts, dukes, chancellors and ministers, mayors, and special envoys of these self-proclaimed territories are often in conflict with one another, as they see their counterparts as “copycats.”Bojan Pancevski, “Rise of ‘new Reich army’ sparks alarm in Germany,” Times (London), October 29, 2016, https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/rise-of-new-reich-army-sparks-alarm-in-germany-xmd7jc9b7; Alexander Ritzmann, “The December 2022 German Reichsbürger Plot to Overthrow the German Government,” Combating Terrorism Center, March 2023, https://ctc.westpoint.edu/the-december-2022-german-Reichsbürger-plot-to-overthrow-the-german-government/.

According to Armin Pfahl-Traughber, a researcher at Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, some well-known Reichsbürger organizations include the German Reich Government in Exile, the Principality of Germania, Germanitien, the Executive German Reich Government, the Interim Party Germany, the Kingdom of Germany, Neue Gemeinschaft von Philosophen, the Republic of Free Germany, the Self-governing German Reich, the People’s Federal Council, and the People’s Germany.Armin Pfahl-Traughber, “Reich Citizen,” Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, https://www.kas.de/en/web/extremismus/rechtsextremismus/reichsbuerger. Given the ambiguous construct of the movement, it is uncertain if the groups regularly coordinate with one another. Regardless of their group affiliation, the movement primarily does its planning online through messenger services and social media.“ICYMI: CEP Senior Director Explains Group Plotting German Coup,” Counter Extremism Project, December 10, 2022, https://www.counterextremism.com/press/icymi-cep-senior-director-explains-group-plotting-german-coup; “CEP Senior Director Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler on BBC World News ‘The Context with Christian Fraser’,” YouTube, December 7, 2022, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yi-qHYfn-tc&ab_channel=CounterExtremismProject.

The German federal government frequently affiliates Reichsbürger and Selbstverwalter (self-administrators) as partner groups and has stated that it is often difficult to differentiate between the two. However, one key difference is that Reichsbürger prioritizes the “German Reich” whereas Selbstverwalter is characterized by its “secession” from the state and serve as “self-administrators.” Both groups peddle conspiracy theories and are known for their interest in weaponry. The groups also employ similar strategies and tactics in spreading their views. Social media networks feature heavily in their recruitment, and they overwhelm the government with “busy work” in the form of nonsensical documents and phone calls to distract government officials from everyday operations.“Reichsbürger” and “Selbstverwalter,” Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz, https://www.verfassungsschutz.de/EN/topics/reichsbuerger-and-selbstverwalter/reichsbuerger-and-selbstverwalter_node.html.

Financing

According to media sources, the Reichsbürger movement is financially supported through a network of private donors, seminars, and fantasy documents. Examples of these money generating services vary, with one group boasting “spiritual healing seminars.” Jörg Luyken, “An audience with Germany’s ‘rightful king’ who dreams of rebuilding its empire,” Telegraph (London), June 17, 2023, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2023/06/17/peter-fitzek-king-neudeutschland-wittenberg-germany/.

Reichsbürger partner group, the Selbstverwalter movement, reportedly finances itself through selling fantasy documents to be used in their self-governed territories. Among those documents are driving licenses and license plates. Additional financing is achieved through staging expensive seminars, providing costly legal advice, and lectures. Groups also carry out large-scale campaigns to attract financial contributors for “village projects.” The financial sponsors are then encouraged to exchange euros into fantasy currency, sign capital transfer contracts or pay money directly to the sellers of properties.“Brief summary 2022 Report on the Protection of the Constitution,” Bundesministerium des Innern und für Heimat, June 2023, https://www.verfassungsschutz.de/SharedDocs/publikationen/EN/reports-on-the-protection-of-the-constitution/2023-06-brief-summary-2022-report-on-the-protection-of-the-constitution.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=4; Jörg Luyken, “An audience with Germany’s ‘rightful king’ who dreams of rebuilding its empire,” Telegraph (London), June 17, 2023, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2023/06/17/peter-fitzek-king-neudeutschland-wittenberg-germany/.

Recruitment

There is no dominant demographic that defines Reichsbürger members. However, the movement’s supporters tend to be older and prone to hold conspiratorial beliefs. Sections of the movement reportedly target financially insecure individuals and those on the brink of foreclosure to gain support in opposition to “illegitimate” governing forces.Jakob Guhl and Dominik Hammer, “The Reichsbürger Movement,” Institute for Strategic Dialogue, https://www.isdglobal.org/explainers/the-Reichsbürger-movement-explainer/. In recent years, aristocrats and former—often retired or dismissed—civil servants have not only joined Reichsbürger, but have also been arrested for leading groups within the movement.“Brief summary 2022 Report on the Protection of the Constitution,” Bundesministerium des Innern und für Heimat, June 2023, https://www.verfassungsschutz.de/SharedDocs/publikationen/EN/reports-on-the-protection-of-the-constitution/2023-06-brief-summary-2022-report-on-the-protection-of-the-constitution.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=4. Additionally, the movement has gained extreme right wing followers through its endorsement of conspiracy theories, such as claiming the Jewish community is to blame for unemployment and denying the Holocaust.“Concept and manifestations,” Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz, https://www.verfassungsschutz.de/DE/themen/reichsbuerger-und-selbstverwalter/begriff-und-erscheinungsformen/begriff-und-erscheinungsformen_node.html.

Additionally, the Reichsbürger’s partner group, the Selbstverwalter movement, distributes propaganda across social media, specifically Telegram, and holds regular events, including seminars, which are used to increase their recruitment prospects.Jörg Luyken, “An audience with Germany’s ‘rightful king’ who dreams of rebuilding its empire,” Telegraph (London), June 17, 2023, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2023/06/17/peter-fitzek-king-neudeutschland-wittenberg-germany/.

The violent potential of those aligning with the movement can be seen in one of the most notorious examples of the Reichsbürger movement—the Patriotic Union’s December 2022 attempted coup of the German government. Among those eventually detained was a senior citizen who intended to head the military wing of the Reichsbürger government. Included among the Reichsbürger involved in the attempted coup were a senior citizen tried to recruit police and ex-elite troops to run the post-coup military and even scouted barracks that would be used by the post-coup government.David Mac Dougall, “The prince, the politician and the paratrooper: Who's accused over the alleged coup plot in Germany?,” Euro News, August 12, 2022, https://www.euronews.com/2022/12/07/the-prince-the-politician-and-the-paratrooper-whos-accused-over-the-alleged-coup-plot-in-g. Authorities have also claimed that the aristocrat Heinrich the 13th Prinz Reuss was the leader of the coup, and his Russian wife, Vitalia B. allegedly assisted in the putsch in “in establishing contacts with representatives of the Russian Federation”Frank Menke, “Er sollte neues Staatsoberhaupt werden: Wer ist Heinrich XIII. Prinz Reuß?,” WDR, December 8, 2022, https://www1.wdr.de/nachrichten/heinrich-dreizehnter-prinz-reuss-100.html.

Training

Details of Reichsbürger’s training have never been released. However, there are activities carried out by the movement that clearly require coordination and planning. Although the Reichsbürger do not generally carry out coordinated acts of violence, their targets remain consistent. Civil servants and police officers remain vulnerable to those armed within the movement, with some past altercations resulting in fatalities.Armin Pfahl-Traughber, “Reich Citizen,” Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, https://www.kas.de/en/web/extremismus/rechtsextremismus/reichsbuerger. Furthermore, groups within the movement are known for writing letters of complaint as part of their strategy to resist authorities and overwhelm civil servants and state services.Agence France Presse, “Who are Germany’s ‘Citizens of the Reich’?,” France 24, August 29, 2017, https://www.france24.com/en/20170829-who-are-germanys-citizens-reich. According to German intelligence services, the movement’s followers have resorted to asking nonsensical questions couched in legalese meant to overwhelm government offices. Other correspondence includes denials of official activity, insults, and attempts at extortion. Letters are not only sent to the authorities, but also to Muslim and Jewish communities to advance xenophobic and right-wing extremist agenda. The “Reichsbewegung” are part of the contingent that have sent intimidating documents to those communities which reportedly led to their relatives leaving the country.Armin Pfahl-Traughber, “Reich Citizen,” Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, https://www.kas.de/en/web/extremismus/rechtsextremismus/reichsbuerger.

Also Known As