The “Kingdom of Germany”, a conspiracy network that wanted to “get out of the system”
The organization, which has close ties to conspiracy theories and the far-right, was dismantled by German authorities on Tuesday, May 13. According to Der Spiegel, its founders attempted to create a parallel society that would not obey the rules of the German federal government.
“To take the steps to leave the Federal Republic of Germany would have cost 374 euros,” reports Der Spiegel . Those wishing to become subjects of the “Kingdom of Germany” (Königreich Deutschland, KRD) would have had to pay this sum to join the “imaginary state” created by the German conspiracy organization of that name. “According to the KRD website, this would have been the ‘first step to leaving the system.’ ”
Ultimately, such an exit from the system will not happen anytime soon, notes the centrist weekly, published in Hamburg. On Tuesday, May 13, German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt announced the dissolution of the Kingdom of Germany. That same day, the organization's leader and self-proclaimed "king," Peter Fitzek, and three of his associates were arrested, and several hundred police officers searched buildings linked to the movement in seven federal states.
The Kingdom of Germany is accused of endangering German democracy and of carrying out activities “contrary to criminal law.” It does not recognize the legitimacy of the German federal state and its institutions, like all other small groups claiming to be part of the monarchist movement of the Reichsbürger (Reichsbürger). In 2022, another organization linked to the Reichsbürger had considered a coup d'état.
There is no evidence that the Kingdom of Germany had a similar program. But it was monitored by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution due to its anti-Semitic tendencies and ties to far-right circles. Founded in 2012 in Saxony-Anhalt by chef and karate instructor Peter Fitzek, it “was considered the largest citizens' group in the Reich of Germany” and, according to its own account, had some 6,000 members.
The veracity of this figure has not been verified, but the organization remained very active nonetheless. “Throughout Germany, speakers commissioned by the KRD took part in seminars and hikes,” Der Spiegel reports. “In various locations, envoys from the group showed up to buy real estate and land.” On these properties, Kingdom of Germany members allegedly attempted to create a kind of parallel society, setting up “pseudo-state structures and institutions.”
Courrier International
