Germany tightens gun law because of growing danger of extreme right ‘Reichsbürger’ | Abroad

This group, which the Federal Republic does not recognize, was at the center of a large-scale anti-terror operation last week that seized weapons and detained 25 members and supporters suspected of plotting a coup. The ‘Reichsburger’ have a high willingness to use violence, according to the Minister of the Interior, and are increasingly a danger as the movement continues to grow.

The number of people who are part of it has risen by 2,000 this year to 23,000, Faeser tells Bild am Sonntag, citing data from Germany’s internal security service. Ten percent of these ‘Rijksburgers’ are considered to be ‘willing to use violence’. In 2021 alone, 239 violent crimes committed by members and supporters of this movement were recorded in Germany.

From at least 1050′Reichsburger‘ the firearms license has already been withdrawn, the minister explains. The German government will “soon further tighten up” gun legislation, she announces. “We are not dealing with innocent idiots, but with terrorist suspects who are now all in custody,” said the minister.

In the Sunday edition of the newspaper, politicians from the German ‘traffic light coalition’ of the social democratic SPD, liberal FDP and Bündnis 90/Die Grünen (red, yellow and green) call for better protection of parliament. The reason is the arrest of the Berlin judge and former parliamentarian Birgit Malsack-Winkemann of the right-wing radical party Alternative for Germany (AfD).

She is one of theReichsburger’suspects and, despite her departure from the Bundestag last year, still had a pass that gave her access to the parliament building. This now raises questions because the arrested suspects would have wanted to storm the Bundestag and take MPs hostage.

Deputy SPD party leader Dirk Wiese wants to have the Bundestag’s security concept evaluated. “In doing so, the access rights of employees and former delegates must be considered,” he says.

According to the newspaper, this will be discussed next week by the Elderly Council of the Bundestag. It consists of the Speaker of Parliament, the deputies and 23 other MPs. These are not necessarily the oldest, but they are very experienced parliamentarians.

Bundestag vice-president Katrin Göring-Eckardt (The Greens) has already announced that it wants to tighten security measures for the German parliament. “Obviously there are still links between ‘Reichsburgerand the current AfD faction,” she said last week.

Of the 25 suspects who were arrested on Wednesday during the raid in the environment of the Reich citizens, 22 are accused of being members of a terrorist organization that wanted to overthrow the political system in Germany. The remaining three are considered adherents.

A 71-year-old suspect with blue blood from the state of Thuringia would have played a central role in the coup plans of the Reich citizens. They would have wanted to appoint Henry XIII Prince Reuss as head of state of the new Germany after the takeover of power. The prince is suspected of leading a secret ‘council’ that planned and coordinated the coup.

‘Reichsburger‘ do not recognize the Federal Republic as a legitimate state because, in their view, the deposition of the German Emperor Wilhelm II — heir to the German Empire — in 1918 was illegal. They therefore claim to claim dominion.