From whom is democracy in danger in Germany?

“Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier is still in office,” wrote the German left-wing newspaper Tageszeitung ironically, a day after the sweeping police operation to dismantle the “Reich Citizens” terrorist organization, which dreamed of coups, revolutions, restoration of Reich and transformation of Germany into a principality.

It’s not hard to laugh at a dozen pensioners and their … coup fantasies, especially in a country as entrenched in the rule of law and democracy as Germany.

The same country, however, also has a burdensome past, even if it still exorcises it, almost masochistically. So he can’t afford to casually dismiss anyone’s revolutionary ideals as harmless quirks – especially when he has amassed so many weapons…

“A coup may be unlikely, but it is realistic to conclude that there was a real risk to human life. There would definitely be dead,” far-right expert Miro Dietrich told Die Zeit newspaper. And therein lies the essence of the threat. Two years ago, the planet watched live as an enraged mob stormed the US Capitol. Who would have thought it?

However, the imagination of conspiracy theorists everywhere is particularly vivid. “Citizens of the Reich” houses far-rights, neo-Nazis, anti-Semites, revisionists, deniers of the coronavirus pandemic, fans of the monarchy, QAnon theory and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The movement does not recognize the Federal Republic of Germany as a sovereign state, but only as an economic entity, a Societe Anonyme, which was set up by the Allies after the end of World War II and remains under their occupation.

The country must, in other words, return to the Weimar Constitution, which is supposed to remain in force even at the borders of 1932 or 1871. There is no lack of internal disagreements here either, with some members rejecting the Weimar Constitution as illegitimate and to praise the empire and the… Kaiser.

Graphics…

According to the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), which has been monitoring the organization since 2016, its members reach 21,000. Of these, most are men, 50-70 years old, economically and socially marginalized, many in spiritual confusion, as described by the “Amadeu Antonio” Foundation, which has systematically dealt with the issue.

In the category of graphicness one can list the issuing of “official” documents, passports, building permits or driver’s licenses, perhaps even the refusal of some to pay taxes – “since the state has no legalization”. In 2009, when the Swiss authorities refused to accept the “driving license” of one of the most dedicated “Citizens”, he appealed to the Swiss Supreme Federal Court – unsuccessfully.

Thousands of “warrants of arrest” have been issued against people who reject the Reich documents, stating that “when the Reich government is restored, they will be tried for high treason, which is punishable by death.”

The original Provisional Imperial Government (KRR) was founded in 1985 by Wolfgang Gerhard Günter Ebel, who, despite allegations of breach of principle and threats, has never been convicted, since the courts have always ruled that he is a person of… limited liability .

But the same is not true of the would-be head of the German principality, Henry XIII of the House of Royce, who once appeared as a fashionable businessman, a lover of fast cars and the good life.

According to the authorities, the prince, whose family had taken care in time to distance himself from his action, was contacting aristocrats of European houses asking for financial support for his… noble goal. In the recent searches, the police found, among other things, an “unusually large amount” and gold bars.

In the same operation, the Federal Prosecutor’s Office found at least 500 more legal gun permits among “Reich Citizens”. Combined with the recruitment of active and retired Bundeswehr personnel and the gathering of all kinds of weapons in various parts of the country, the authorities assessed the element as particularly dangerous. They assured, however, that throughout the investigations they maintained absolute control of the situation and that there was never any real danger of the implementation of the plan to overthrow the democratic order.

Violent incidents

However, the past of the “Citizens of the Reich” is not bloodless. In 2016 one of them opened fire on two police officers and in 2019 he was sentenced to seven years in prison for attempted murder. Also in 2016, another “Citizen” shot at members of the Bavarian police special forces, who were attempting to confiscate the 31 firearms in his possession. A police officer died and the perpetrator was sentenced to life in prison.

Arms collection has always been at the center of the organization’s interest. Weapons and ammunition were found in at least 50 of the 130 locations searched last Wednesday. As it became known, shooting courses were systematically organized for the members, while there was an organized “military arm”, with the ultimate goal of creating the future army of the Reich.

The 69-year-old Rüdiger von P., a former paratrooper, and the Ministry of Justice had “locked in” the former Alternative for Germany (AfD) federal parliamentarian and judge Birgit Malzak-Winkemann, who was also a shooting athlete, was intended to be the head of GEETHA.

Prince Henry’s shadow government even had a gourmet chef, Frank Heppner, a star chef in Germany, who would be in charge of the army canteens. The 39-year-old Vitalia B., of Russian origin, was Prince Henry’s partner, but she also performed the duties of “ambassador”, as she was in charge of communication with Moscow. The federal prosecutor pointed out, however, that there is no evidence that the Russian side responded. All have been arrested and remanded in custody, while new arrivals are expected in the coming days.

Mischievous or dangerous?

The German secret services have never stopped dealing with the activities of the far-right and neo-Nazi scenes. Chancellor Olaf Solz himself, in his first speech after taking office, had named the extreme right as the first danger to democracy in the country. He obviously knew what he was talking about.

The extreme right – even in its populist form – has in recent years secured a permanent seat in the Federal Parliament and in almost all state parliaments, with opinion polls currently giving it a percentage of 13-15%, when a few years ago it was considered unthinkable to there is anything to the right of the Christian Union (CDU/CSU). The far right has repeatedly been traced to either the armed forces or the police – even the most elite units.

The zero tolerance policy is in place, but apparently not enough. In 2020, then-Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer disbanded an entire group of the elite KSK unit, which used the Nazi salute and entertained with songs praising Hitler. The active sergeant who was arrested in the previous days with the leading group of the “Citizens of the Reich” also served in the KSK.

The far right is found in Germany in sports and shooting clubs, in the states of the former East Germany, where citizens feel that the path taken by the Federal Republic of Germany has left them on the sidelines. Anti-Semitism – albeit disguised – is on the rise, as is xenophobia, which has strengthened in the last decade and due to the wave of refugees – not to mention the conspiracy theory that … took off during the pandemic.

“The state is strong and fully capable of dealing with its enemies,” proclaims Olaf Solz. Everyone will agree, however, that it is not necessary to carry out the plans of terrorists, to invade the Bundestag, to kidnap politicians, to cause a total blackout in the country, or to start a popular uprising and civil war in order to talk about a real problem. Actions of a limited scale, which many would be willing to undertake, are “enough”.

After all, of the 21,000 members of the “Citizens of the Reich”, at least 2,100 are considered by the German authorities to be “willing to use violence”. Accordingly, the fact that Prince Henry had no chance of becoming head of state does not mean that his plans were harmless. Somehow, a minority went from being skeptical of the state to deciding to overthrow it.

“Those who have different views and do not want a liberal, open, democratic Germany speak louder than others,” Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier pointed out, commenting on the case, with visible concern.

But can democracy accommodate everyone, even its enemies? It endures, with its strongest weapon being the rule of law. But at the same time, democracy cannot afford to be naive or complacent. And it always needs the resistance of a healthy society.

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