Germany: Far-right coup plotters go on trial

The most high-profile of three trials linked to a far-right coup plot begins on Tuesday in a newly erected courtroom on the outskirts of Frankfurt. The defendants are alleged to be the 10 ringleaders of a group led by German aristocrat Heinrich XIII Prince Reuss, and stand accused of preparing to commit high treason and of membership in a terrorist organization.

All the suspects, part of the so-called "Reichsbürger" movement, were allegedly plotting to overthrow the German government. They were allegedly planning to storm the German parliament and detain prominent politicians, including Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and conservative opposition leader Friedrich Merz.

The Reichsbürger, or "citizens of the Reich," reject Germany's postwar state, claiming it was installed and controlled by the Allied powers who won World War II.

Police uncovered the suspected plot in a series of nationwide raids on December 7, 2022. Some 25 people were arrested and are now in detention awaiting the upcoming trials. More than 380 firearms were confiscated, along with almost 150,000 pieces of ammunition.

The alleged military arm of this group has been facing court in Stuttgart since April 29. A further eight suspected members of the alleged association will have to stand trial in Munich from June 18.

Self-styled prince as ringleader

The alleged ringleader of the Reichsbürger group facing charges in Frankfurt is Heinrich XIII Prince Reuss, a 72-year-old estate agent from Frankfurt and descendant of an aristocratic family. Supporters had allegedly earmarked Reuss for the role of provisional head of a German state.

Among Reuss' co-conspirators to stand trial in Frankfurt is Birgit Malsack-Winkemann, a judge and former representative of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in the federal parliament, the Bundestag. She was allegedly to become justice minister after the coup.

Following the high-profile arrests of the group surrounding Reuss in December 2022, there were more raids and arrests of Reichsbürger conspirators.

"We cannot say loudly enough on the day of one of the biggest raids against state subversive activities carried out by the right that this kind of polarization is increasing," said Interior Minister Nancy Faeser in November 2023. "And we have to defend our democracy anew each day."

Inspired by QAnon conspiracy theories

Reuss' supporters allegedly fantasized about deploying German army helicopters, flown by soldiers that back their cause. They have even been accused of planning a violent takeover of the aconspiracy theoriesrms business Heckler & Koch, based in Oberndorf am Neckar, the Bundeswehr's main supplier of small arms.

The prosecution has alleged that Reuss and his supporters believe that a "deep state" runs Germany and was planning to murder hundreds of children and teenagers. The group apparently believed the floods in Germany's Ahr Valley in 2021 were an attempt to cover up murders already committed by flooding old government bunkers. Among Reuss' supporters, there was talk of 600 dead children.

The federal prosecutor's office has said the group was planning a violent coup and aiming to negotiate a new treaty with the World War II allies, particularly Russia. The group allegedly carried out firearms training and reconnaissance missions in the Bundestag in preparation.

Around 20,000 people in Reichsbürger movement

German intelligence agencies have estimated that the Reichsbürger movement comprises around 20,000 people in Germany, about 2,300 of whom are described as "prepared to use violence." What they have in common are xenophobic and antisemitic beliefs. They reject democracy and have pro-monarchist tendencies.

Court proceedings began recently against Reichsbürger activists accused of threatening to abduct German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach of the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD), in connection with government activities to stem the COVID-19 pandemic.

Reporter Tobias Ginsburg spent eight months undercover researching the Reichsbürger scene. He also carried out similar investigations among radical anti-vaccination groups and conspiracy theorists during the COVID pandemic in 2020 and 2022.

When asked by DW in March 2023 whether he thought the movement was a real threat to the German state, Ginsburg said: "That's not such an easy question as it might seem, because the Reichsbürger movement is not like one network, one certain type of extremist or something like this. It's more like a conspiracy theory, which is deep-seated in German history and Nazism, which became extremely widespread."

But Ginsburg said the group shared the fantasies of all far-right activists: "It's the idea of a homogeneous society without 'the other,' 'the foreign one.'"

Rulings in all three trials linked to the alleged coup attempt of Reuss and his co-conspirators are not expected before 2025.

This article was originally written in German. This article was first published on April 30, 2024, when the first of the three trials began. It has been updated and republished to mark the beginning of the second trial on Tuesday, May 21.

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