The German government has formally banned the far-right group Königreich Deutschland (“Kingdom of Germany”), one of the most prominent factions within the so-called Reichsbürger (“Reich Citizens”) movement.
The action was announced on Tuesday morning by Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt, coinciding with extensive police raids across seven federal states.
The Interior Ministry stated that the group, founded by Peter Fitzek in 2012, had established structures that directly challenged the constitutional order of the Federal Republic. Describing the organisation as “sect-like”, Dobrindt accused its members of seeking to create a parallel state and of constructing criminal financial networks.
“The members of this association have created a ‘counter-state’ in our country and built up criminal economic structures,” the minister said. “In this way, they undermine the rule of law and the Federal Republic’s monopoly on the legitimate use of force. At the same time, they use antisemitic conspiracy narratives to back up their supposed claim to authority.”
The federal ban also extends to several affiliated splinter groups. According to estimates by the authorities, Königreich Deutschland has around 6,000 adherents, making it the largest organisation within the Reichsbürger scene. Its followers reject the legitimacy of the modern German state and instead assert the continued existence of the German Reich within pre-1945 borders.
The operation on Tuesday saw coordinated raids in Baden-Württemberg, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia. Four individuals were arrested, including Fitzek himself, who refers to himself as “King Peter I” and held a self-declared “coronation” ceremony.
The group’s activities have drawn increased attention in recent years due to their systematic attempts to construct alternative societal structures. These have included the production of unofficial documents such as passports and driving licences, the creation of a so-called “central bank”, and the purchase of real estate for communal use. Authorities previously confiscated documents, cash, and gold bars in a financial raid linked to the group.
In 2022, Fitzek’s followers succeeded in purchasing a castle in Saxony, followed in 2023 by a disused hotel and a large private residence. The group’s leadership has portrayed official enforcement actions as political persecution, with Fitzek publicly accusing the German state of acting like a “mafia” and engaging in an “act of war against another subject of international law”.
The broader Reichsbürger movement has become a significant focus for domestic security services. Its members are known to reject state authority, refuse to pay taxes or fines, and in some cases have been linked to violent incidents. In late 2022, a separate Reichsbürger-aligned group was found to be plotting the violent overthrow of the German government, with plans to storm the Bundestag and install a figurehead ruler. That plot led to 27 indictments and the seizure of hundreds of firearms.
While Fitzek’s group was not directly connected to the 2022 plot, the federal government views all such factions as part of a common threat spectrum. At the beginning of 2025, the Interior Ministry issued arrest warrants for 189 individuals suspected of involvement in far-right extremist groups that challenge the legitimacy of the democratic order.
The German judiciary is currently overseeing multiple high-profile trials involving Reichsbürger figures accused of forming terrorist organisations or plotting against the constitutional system. The trial of Heinrich XIII Prince Reuss, a descendant of German nobility, began in April. He stands accused of conspiring to lead a replacement government following a planned coup.
In announcing Tuesday’s ban, Dobrindt stated:
“There is no place in Germany for those who seek to undermine our democracy under the guise of sovereignty. The rule of law will not tolerate parallel structures based on extremist ideologies.”
Investigations into the activities and finances of Königreich Deutschland are ongoing.
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Unfolding of Reichsbürger Trial Amidst Growing Far-Right Movements in Germany
