Office for the Protection of the Constitution informs about "Kingdom of Germany"

The "Kingdom of Germany" association is history as the largest group in the "Reichsbürger" scene. A few days after taking office, Federal Minister of the Interior Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) banned the association. It is said to have around 6,000 followers nationwide, including 300 in Saxony.

According to the Federal Ministry of the Interior, police forces searched buildings and homes of leading members in Baden-Württemberg, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia from the early hours of the morning.

Four arrests - investigation into criminal association

Four men were arrested, according to the Federal Public Prosecutor General. Among them is Peter Fitzek, who, according to the security authorities, founded the association in Wittenberg in 2012. Two of the arrests were made in the district of Central Saxony, according to a spokeswoman for the federal prosecutor's office. The investigations are primarily focused on a criminal organization.

According to the Saxon State Office of Criminal Investigation, residential and business premises in Halsbrücke near Freiberg, in the district of Saxon Switzerland-Eastern Ore Mountains as well as in Döbeln and Leipzig were searched. The aim was to secure the association's assets and other evidence.

Peter Fitzek comes from Halle in Saxony-Anhalt and had declared himself head of state. He has already stood trial several times and been convicted. Fitzek is now also accused of unauthorized deposit and insurance transactions.

Protection of the Constitution had long had the group in its sights

The State Office for the Protection of the Constitution (LfV) in Saxony had been gathering information on the "Kingdom of Germany" (KRD) for years and informed the public. "In doing so, we exposed the group's real estate purchases in Saxony at the time as expansion efforts that only served the goal of establishing pseudo-state parallel structures in the form of sect-like settlement communities," said LfV President Dirk-Martin Christian. He also warned urgently against giving money to the KRD.

According to the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, the group's activities in Saxony were aimed at expanding its own "state territory", including its own parallel structures. In addition to the establishment of pseudo-institutions such as the "Gemeinwohlkasse", this included the acquisition and expansion of real estate. In order to achieve his goals, Fitzek relied on the savings or financial deposits of KRD members or residents of his properties known as "public welfare villages", it was said.

"Kingdom of Germany" had several properties in Saxony

In Saxony, the KRD founded a "public welfare fund" in a bakery in the Laubegast district in April 2021. It was closed by the Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) in February 2023. Between February 2022 and May 2023, the group acquired three large properties in the Free State of Saxony via straw men: Wolfsgrüner Schlösschen in the Eibenstock district of Wolfsgrün (Erzgebirgskreis), Bärwalde Castle in Boxberg (Görlitz district) and Halsbrücke Estate (Mittelsachsen district).

Fitzek renovated these properties together with his supporters, according to the LfV. In 2023, for example, extensive work was carried out at Bärwalde Castle with up to 100 people from all over Germany.

As a result of an investigation by the Dresden public prosecutor's office against several KRD members, Wolfsgrün Castle and Bärwalde Castle were confiscated and sealed by BaFin in November 2023. The defendants were accused of operating a health insurance fund without authorization and carrying out unauthorized banking transactions. Since then, the "Kingdom of Germany" was restricted to the estate in Halsbrücke.

The estate in Halsbrücke wanted to be self-sufficient

According to the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, the "common good villages" were advertised as part of the "national territory", into which followers could buy themselves in order to work and live there as self-sufficient people. The estate in Halsbrücke was to be used primarily for agricultural purposes as a self-sufficiency project. According to the State Criminal Police Office, numerous animals - cows, pigs and sheep - were also found during the searches.

"In addition to the acquisition and expansion of real estate, the KRD continuously advertised various fee-based seminars on esoteric topics, such as "Contact with the spirit world of God", the Office for the Protection of the Constitution went on to say. These seminar activities had most recently taken place mainly in Saxony.

According to the LfV, a so-called "Leucht Turm" team was deployed to find new followers and financial supporters for the "Kingdom of Germany". It mainly organized hikes to strengthen the sense of community and acquire new "nationals". An open day was held several times in Halsbrücke.

The Left, Green and SPD parliamentary groups in the Saxon state parliament welcomed the ban on the association as a long overdue step. At the same time, they pointed to the close links between the "Reichsbürger" and the far-right scene. "Reich citizens" do not recognize the Federal Republic of Germany as a state. They deny the legitimacy of the Basic Law, authorities and courts, for example, and do not accept official decisions.