Germany detains ‘King Peter’
(MENAFN) German authorities have officially outlawed the extremist “Kingdom of Germany” group and detained four of its senior members, including its self-proclaimed monarch, Peter Fitzek. The organization, which styled itself as a breakaway “counter-state” led by an absolute ruler, is part of the broader far-right Reichsbürger (Reich Citizens) movement that rejects the legitimacy of the Federal Republic of Germany.
Germany’s domestic intelligence service estimates that around 25,000 individuals nationwide support Reichsbürger ideologies, which claim that the pre-World War II German Reich still exists and that the current state, including its laws and institutions, is invalid. Members frequently refuse to comply with state regulations, such as paying taxes or acknowledging court rulings.
On Tuesday, approximately 800 police officers conducted coordinated raids across the country, targeting properties and residences tied to the Kingdom of Germany and its leadership. Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said the group had set up an alternative state structure while engaging in financial crimes and spreading anti-Semitic conspiracy theories.
“This is not harmless role-playing,” Dobrindt stated. “These are organized criminal operations masquerading as a state.”
The group, founded in 2012 in Wittenberg, eastern Germany, operated unauthorized banking services and promoted its own legal framework. Fitzek, who previously attempted to run for parliament, referred to himself as “King Peter I” and installed ministers and deputies to simulate a functioning government.
According to the Federal Prosecutor’s Office in Karlsruhe, Fitzek held complete authority over the group's operations. The group also claims to be a sovereign state under international law and seeks to expand its territory to match the 1871 borders of the former German Empire.
This crackdown follows a 2022 incident in which members of another Reichsbürger-linked group—including former military personnel and a one-time parliamentarian—were arrested for allegedly plotting a violent coup and attempting to install aristocrat Heinrich XIII Reuss as Germany’s head of state.
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