A fringe group that believes in conspiracy theory and want to take their country back to pre-World War II era, more specifically, to the time of Second Reich in 1871, did hatch a plot to overthrow the modern democratic German Republic. The German police on Wednesday (December 7) conducted the biggest ever operation against the members of the far-right elements belonging to the so-called Reichsbürger movement (Citizens of the Reich) at 130 sites in 11 states out of Germany's 16 states and arrested some 25 suspects. But who are these anti-democracy, anti-modernity and anti-establishment people out to take their country centuries back?
They are disparate groups of people who deny the post-WWII existence of Germany as a Federal Republic. In their view, German state as it is now is an administrative construct still under the occupation of the Western powers, especially, the US, the UK and France. They believe the 1937 border of the German Empire is still valid. The members of these diverse groups and individuals are mostly found in the states of Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Bavaria. As they do not recognise the present German authority, they show their allegiance to their own 'national territories' which they also term 'Second German Empire', or the 'Free State of Prussia', or the 'Principality of Germania'. At the same time, they refuse to pay tax to the government and carry out disruptive activities like flooding the local administrative offices with abusive mail. One of these disparate groups, which identifies itself as Königreich Deutschland (Kingdom of Germany), even bought lands in Saxony where it dreams of establishing its kingdom. Together they print their own currency, identity cards, passports, and driver's licences. They openly carry out their campaign against the Federal Republic of Germany on their website.
Actually, this motley collection of people who deny the legitimacy of the present-day Germany and so want to overthrow it has, of late, become a platform of every form of extremist idea including racism, anti-semitism, as well as anti-immigrant narratives. Add to these the recent conspiracy theories like QAnon.
The adherents of QAnon, a baseless conspiracy theory which holds that Satan-worshiping paedophiles are controlling the government, business and media (the mythical 'deep state'), were also reportedly involved in the said plot to occupy the Reichstag. This conspiracy theory originated in the US in 2017. The followers of this theory believe their hero, former US president Donald Trump, champions the war against those evil forces. Notably, the storming of the Capitol Hill on January 6, 2021 was the work of this diverse group. Evidently, among other countries, QAnon has its followers also in Germany. The activity of the Reichsbürger movement, though it started long before the pandemic, gained more support during the pandemic when the online disinformation campaign against the vaccine claimed that it (the vaccine) was a weapon to control people. It may be recalled that a mob of anti-vaxxers and Covid deniers had tried to attack the Bundestag in August 2020. Interestingly, the QAnon supporters had been holding street protests alongside the Reichsbürger activists when that incident took place.
But that was not the first instance of their engaging in violence acts. The attempt to kidnap German health minister in April is suspected to have connection with the movement of the Covid deniers. Gradually, they and the so-called Telegram group related to Reichsbürger movement appear to have been showing interest in the conspiracy theory that Covid-19 and its vaccines are part of a sinister plot to control the population. Meanwhile, the high energy bill due to the Ukraine war and the pressure of the refugees from Ukraine have obviously further fuelled the propaganda of these conspiracy theorists. Germany's Justice Minister, March Buschmann said in a tweet that there was a plot to carry out armed attack on constitutional bodies including Bundestag and install a new government there. The leader of the group has been reported to be a septuagenarian German aristocrat, Heinrich XIII Prince Reuss. He would become the head of the future state if the plot to topple the present government was successful. German Federal prosecutors say, Heinrich XIII is one of the two ring leaders of the plot. The other suspect, Ruediger v.P., would become the head of the new German army once the coup plotters were in power.
Some of those arrested appear to be former military personnel and they were learnt to be trying to contact the Russian government, an allegation that Russia dismissed out of hand.
But these violent elements with apparently ridiculous political or cultist views are but the surface of a still bigger force with sinister designs to thwart democratic systems. The rising unrest in Europe and other parts of the world is due to growing economic disparity in society. It has been providing a fertile ground for the far right narratives and the conspiracy theory. The conflicts and wars in different parts of the world have been dislodging millions from their hearth and home in the Middle East, Africa and elsewhere. These people are trying to enter Europe in the hope of a better life as economic immigrants. Europe also needs the service of this cheap workforce from abroad. But this situation has also been instrumental in stirring up the politics of populism that thrives on the majority's fear of foreigners, immigrants, refugees and the minority. The far right, especially, the neo-Nazis in Germany, are trying to fish in troubled waters. Notably, a far right party AfD (Alternative for Germany), a radical right group holds 78 seats in German parliament. Though this party has denied any involvement in the coup plot, it is still under state surveillance.
German society and politics are yet to completely rid itself of its dark legacy of the past.
