As many as 3000 police officers carried out dawn raids at over 130 different locations in Germany, Italy and Austria on Wednesday morning, arresting a total of 25 people in connection with a far-right group’s plot to violently overthrow the German government. The suspected terrorists detained included a prince, a former MP and acting judge, an ex-special forces commando, and a Russian collaborator.
Buckle-up, because this is not the synopsis of the latest episode of “Homeland,” this is a real-life snapshot of what happened this week as German authorities carried out nationwide and cross-border raids of a far-right extremist group’s coup plot. The operation was one of the largest organized crackdowns against civil extremism in recent German history.
The coup d’etat foiled by police aimed to replace the modern German government with a new far-right empire called the “Second Reich;” a political structure modeled on 1871 Germany. The neo-empire was planned to have been led by a panel of extremists, with a legitimate descendent of German royalty, Prince Heinrich XIII, primed to take the place of Olaf Scholz in the premier leadership role.
Though seemingly eclectic and misguided – if not downright bizarre – the group behind the attack are thought to have posed a significant and violent threat to German democracy due to their amassed weaponry and links with other extremist networks of conspiracy theorists, Nazi ideologists and far-right militants.
Germany’s Intelligence Chief, Thomas Haldenwang, confirmed the evidence uncovered in the raid points towards the group’s plans for an armed attack on Berlin’s houses of parliament in an attempt to take control of the republic with their militia.
Authorities also stated that after the initial planned coup, it seems the established military arm of the group was poised to move on to taking down democratic representatives and systems at the state and local level.
“This group, which has been eliminated today, distinguished themselves by having been well connected throughout the country, by precise plans about what they were about to do, and the project has been indeed quite violence orientated, they were considering killing people,” said Haldenwang.
But who are these people, where have their extremist views come from, and what kind of danger does this pose to wider European democracy?
“The enemies of democracy”
The so-called “Citizens of the Reich” – individuals associated with the infamous German right-wing extremist group known as “Reichsbürger” – are thought to be behind the attack.
Knowledge of this group’s covert yet violent operations has been circulating amongst German authorities for a few years now, but this week’s dodged-bullet reveals the scale of the problem is more radical, widespread and dangerous than first thought.
Wednesday’s foiled plot was being orchestrated by up to 50 “Reichsbürger” members who had gone as far as to form a new shadow government and military to replace the current democratic leadership and armed forces they planned to overthrow. Various “Citizens of the Reich” had been selected and appointed as the empire’s new far-right leaders of state departments covering health, justice and foreign affairs.
“Individuals were already earmarked to take over different portfolios,” says German chief federal prosecutor, Peter Frank, “just like the cabinet of a country.”
THREAD I see that many of those who don't live in Germany, are not aware of the "Reichsbürger" (Imperial Citizens) far-right movement, as its members were arrested today for the alleged preparation of a coup. Let me start this thread on the details of this conspiracy theory 1/x
— Sergej Sumlenny (@sumlenny) December 7, 2022
But who are the “Reichsbürger” group?
The right wing extremist network is formed of over 21,000 members, and is broadly assumed to be continuously growing.
The group’s members use a spectrum of internet and social media platforms like Telegram (a messenger app that provides end-to-end encryption for “secret chat” messaging) to spread their radical beliefs that primarily include rejection of Germany’s modern democracy, but span all the way from refusal to pay taxes and conspiracy theories to violent, militant and antisemitic views on holocaust denial.
“The accused are united by a deep rejection of state institutions and the free democratic basic order,” states the German authorities, adding that there is no doubt over the group’s intentions to end German democracy through “violent elimination.”
“The members of the organization are aware that this goal can only be achieved through the use of military means and violence against state representatives. This includes the commission of homicides,” say the federal prosecutors.
Members of the group have been known to regularly provoke, harass, and intimidate members of German parliament online and by fax or letter.
In isolated incidents this confrontation comes across as hostile hysteria, but given the group’s open affinity for weaponry – as well as the scale of artillery seized at this week’s raid (and on previous occasions) – a more tangible threat to national security is revealed.
What’s more, the group has also been linked with another far-right extremist group known as the “United Patriots,” who earlier this year plotted to kidnap the German health minister, Karl Lauterbach, aiming to incite “civil war conditions” to take down Germany’s democracy.
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The government has previously tried to block anyone associated with the far-right group from obtaining a weapons license, but the law is not much use against a group of individuals who decry the integrity of German law, and think parliament is using Covid policies and other methods of evil “Big Brother” style tactics to control the lives of the population.
“Their denial of the legitimacy and sovereignty of the Federal Republic of Germany and their fundamental rejection of its legal order and its representatives lead to a hostile stance that has the potential to manifest itself in the most severe acts of violence,” says the German authorities.
Authorities believe the group arrested on Wednesday had been plotting the coup since November 2021, with the neo-empire’s elected council members regularly gathering for covert meetings to plot the logistics of their government overturn.
The military arm of the group is also thought to have been very proactive in their martial law preparations, training members to shoot, acquiring weaponry and equipment, and attempting to recruit German police officers from across the north of the country to join their shadow militia. The uncovered evidence shows the group were even active in scouting out existing army bases that could be claimed to house their forces once the coup had successfully taken place.
German authorities announced on Thursday that they expect a second wave of arrests to take place as they further unravel the far-right plot, which they say was being led by a select few ringleaders.
Reichsbürger Top Trumps: Who are the group’s key members?
Of the 25 members detained, four key members have been accused of holding prominent positions in the “Reichsbürger” coup group. These anti-establishment superiors include:
The Prince: Heinrich XIII, Prince of Reuß.
- A 71-year-old aristocrat living in the West End district of Frankfurt.
- Descendant of the House of Reuß; a noble family that ruled over parts of Germany for around 800 years until 1918.
- The main ringleader of the extremist group who would act as leader of their envisaged neo-German empire.
- Earned a living through real-estate and sparkling wine production.
Heinrich has in recent years publicly voiced misguided far-right beliefs about Freemasons and dark forces destroying the post-WWI German dynasty after “thousands of years of rule.”
In a speech at a conference in 2019 he was quoted expressing extreme populist beliefs about how “ever since Germany surrendered, it has never been sovereign again.”
As a result, the rest of the noble Reuß family have distanced themselves from Heinrich XIII, an individual they describe as a “conspiracy theorist” and “confused old man.”
The German “prince” involved in the coup plot looks like he was radicalised after being sacked from a mid morning BBC antiques programme pic.twitter.com/x6qInu3Vs1
— David Broder (@broderly) December 7, 2022
The Ex-Commando: Rüdiger von Pescatore
- A 69-year-old retired military personnel.
- Former elite special forces commander of a paratrooper battalion.
- The proposed leader of the extremist group’s military division.
- Allegedly discharged from the real German army over illegal arms deals involving weapons from the “National People’s Army” (a.k.a. the former East German army).
Pescatore has also been linked to conspiracy theories that Freemasons are behind many global historical events, and is suspected of making comments online about how “the truth will only become accessible to mankind after the system change.”
German authorities have also stated that evidence suggests Pescatore (along with other members of the military arm) believes Germany is under the control of the “deep state.”
The Judge: Birgit Malsack-Winkemann
- A 58-year-old trained lawyer, acting judge and far-right politician living in Berlin.
- Former member of the German Bundestag (parliament) until 2021.
- The proposed leader of the extremist group’s justice ministry.
- A longstanding member of the far-right German populist political party “Alternative für Deutschland” (AfD) since its formation in 2013.
Malsack-Winkemann has been described by her political peers as an active conspiracy theorist, xenophobe, and supporter of the QAnon cult which is believed to have fueled the January 6th Capitol Hill riots and attack on the United States Congress.
The Russian Collaborator – Vitalia B
- A Russian national.
- Believed to be the extremist group’s connection with Russia.
- Positioned to acquire support from the Kremlin.
The German authorities suspect Vitalia B to be a Russian supporter of the group who was asked to approach Putin on behalf of the extremist ringleaders.
Russia has so far denied any involvement with the group’s activities, with the Russian embassy in Berlin stating that they do not “maintain contacts with representatives of terrorist groups and other illegal entities.”
Where have their extreme ideas come from?
At present around 5% of the Reichsbürger group’s 21,000 members are believed to support severely extreme right ideologies, and the number of supporters of the group is suspected to still be rising.
However Germany is not alone in the emergence of radical right-wing beliefs, many international voices have also raised concerns that far-right ideals are increasing in general as of late, not only in Europe but across the world. Why is this dangerous shift in perspective occurring?
A paper published last month in Nature Psychology delves further into the intricacies of how conspiracy theories take hold at the “individual, intergroup and national level,” as well the capacity for harm these beliefs have on government systems and civil perspective.
Conspiracy theories have the potential to undermine governments, promote racism, ignite extremism and threaten public health efforts. A Review in @NatRevPsych examines factors that shape conspiracy beliefs at the individual, intergroup and national level. https://t.co/ovI1wqKSLw pic.twitter.com/rx1lZcqOV3
— Nature Portfolio (@NaturePortfolio) December 7, 2022
The scientists behind the paper unpack how susceptibility to conspiracy beliefs is determined by a complex combination of an individual’s personality and their cognitive, clinical or motivational predisposition to radical ideas, as well as wider social group dynamics and national cultural, economic, and political variables.
“Faulty logic,” confirmation bias, lack of analytical thinking, personality disorders or possessing “sensation-seeking” personalities may predispose certain individuals to a conspiracy mindset, the group warns.
“People who prefer fast, heuristic thinking — grounded in gut feeling and emotion — are more likely to believe conspiracy theories,” says the researchers.
The group also notes that conspiracy susceptibility is massively influenced by social proof within a community dynamic; a vulnerability that is possibly exacerbated by the widespread connectivity available to all in the 21st century online sphere.
Harmful misinformation is prevalent and easily accessible online nowadays, and the unlimited access individuals currently have to sharing mutual misguided beliefs with others on a wide range of internet platforms, has a significant power to further polarize the views of already right-leaning individuals.
“An individual’s conspiracy belief is partly influenced by the extent to which other group members also believe that conspiracy theory,” claim the group.
Feelings of a lack of control over one’s own life is also a major factor which predisposes individuals to the conspiracy mindset, explains the group. This assertion could shed light on the link between increasing extremism in Germany (as well as the rest of the international community) and the increasing uncertainty in a world struck by back-to-back crises.
“Research confirmed the relationship between control and conspiracy beliefs… thwarted control motivates people to see illusory patterns in random events as a way of introducing order and predictability to life,” says the authors.
The spectrum of climate, geopolitical, food, energy, corruption and economic-related crises faced by all at present could be pushing fraught perspectives further over the edge, leading people to seek out radical explanations for the instability they’re dealing with on a daily basis.
“Conspiracy beliefs are higher when people feel that social bonds of trust are deteriorating,” states the group, noting that “populist attitudes and support for populist politicians are reliably associated with conspiracy beliefs.”
Against a backdrop of back-to-back catastrophes, the increasing lack of trust in political, social and economic infrastructures could be catalyzing a concerning shift towards extremist worldviews in individuals most predisposed to paranoia or those that are surrounded by others who share their pariah perspective.
We all have a role to play in stopping the spread of harmful misinformation online, which can result in people being left uninformed, unprotected & vulnerable.
Before you share content online, pause to verify facts by asking basic questions. https://t.co/qFqoh7loX2 pic.twitter.com/of55WUh92P
— United Nations (@UN) December 4, 2022
Should Europe (and the world) be worried?
German authorities have launched a full-scale investigation into the suspected far-right terrorist group’s “coup d’etat fantasies and conspiracy ideologies” which the country’s Interior Minister, Nancy Faeser, expressed were “clearly dangerous.”
“I am indeed worried,” stated Faeser, adding that it’s clear the members of the group share a distinct “hatred for democracy, for our state, and for people who support our community.”
She did however go on to attempt to reassure her nation that prosecutors of the state are “taking action to protect our democracy.”
Taken individually, the perpetrators behind this plot seem more idiosyncratic than insidious. But the level of orchestration their plans reveal, the degree of violence suspected to have been intended, and the broad diversity of the network of individuals involved raises significant cause for concern.
What’s more, the larger movement and extremist belief systems that their coup plot represents, fully lays bare the dangerous reality that underground extremist fringe groups in Europe may pose, as well as the power the online disinformation epidemic may have to embolden them.
Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed here by the authors are their own, not those of Impakter.com — In the Featured Photo: Reichstag building which houses the German Bundestag (parliament) in Berlin. Featured Photo Credit: Christian Lue/Unsplash
