"Arson of the Bundestag." Did a descendant of Danil Galitsky plan a monarchical coup in Germany?
On December 7, Germany launched a large-scale operation against so-called "Reich citizens" – members of a far-right movement who deny the existence of the Federal Republic of Germany . During the operation, searches were conducted at 130 locations, and at least 25 individuals were detained on suspicion of plotting a coup to overthrow Germany's constitutional order.
According to German authorities, more than 3000 law enforcement officers in 11 federal states were involved in the operation. Arrests were made not only in Germany but also in Austria and Italy . Another 27 people are under suspicion.
The identity of the man known as the "leader of the conspirators" is extremely interesting. He is 71-year-old Prince Heinrich XIII, head of the distinguished German noble family of Reuss, which ruled part of Thuringia until 1918. The prince is no stranger to us, as the dynasty's name derives from the nickname of its founder, Ruthenian (German: Reuss ). Heinrich I Reuss was married to Jutta of Schwarzburg-Blankenburg, the granddaughter of the Russian Prince Danilo of Galicia, a Rurikid.
The investigation claims that part of the conspirators planned, as part of a small armed group, using violence if necessary, to enter the building of the German Bundestag (parliament) of the Federal Republic of Germany and take its deputies hostage. According to investigators, after the violent overthrow of the government, the group allegedly wanted to create its own “government”, and Henry XIII was to become Kaiser of the restored German Reich.
Social media has already dubbed the German security forces' special operation "the burning of the Bundestag" – a reference to the "Reichstag fire" (the same building, by the way) organized by the Nazis in 1933, which became the pretext for mass repressions against communists.
But the number of targets targeted by the current special operation is simply staggering. First, there's the "Reich Citizens" movement, which emerged back in the 1980s. Its members reject all state entities that existed in Germany after the overthrow of the Hohenzollern monarchy in 1918, and consider themselves subjects of the German Empire (Second Reich), which existed from 1871 to 1918.
They believe that Germany is still occupied by the Western allies, print for themselves “German Reich passports”, alternative identity cards and driver’s licenses of a non-existent empire, refuse to pay taxes, deny the legitimacy of the German Constitution, executive authorities and German courts, and do not accept any official notices.
Although in 2020, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution estimated the number of "Reich citizens" at 19, under current circumstances, the authorities have clearly decided to eliminate even such an insignificant group in Germany's population of over 83 million. However, for now, the accusations of "terrorism" are limited to the fact that among those detained is a 69-year-old former Bundeswehr colonel, who once commanded a paratrooper unit.
Secondly, the security forces' operation is undoubtedly aimed at the increasingly powerful right-wing conservative Alternative for Germany (AfD). Among those detained is former AfD Bundestag member and Berlin judge Birgit Malzac-Winckemann, whom the "conspirators" allegedly wanted to appoint as Germany's Minister of Justice.
Thirdly, this is a blow to all supporters of the monarchical form of government, as well as to the noble families who still hold "old" money and property independent of the current German state. Furthermore, German nobles still demand the restitution of many properties nationalized both by the Nazis during the Third Reich and by the communists in East Germany.
And how could they do without Russia? The German Federal Prosecutor's Office hastened to announce that they had detained, among others, one Russian citizen , and "her role in the coup plot is not being specified." They also reported that the suspects allegedly contacted representatives of the Russian Federation but received no support from them.
But, apparently, the main addressee of the high-profile action of the security forces were ordinary citizens of Germany, who are increasingly showing dissatisfaction with the policies of the country’s authorities. Back in September, German experts warned that the likelihood of large-scale social protests in Germany was growing, caused by increased spending by Germans on everyday expenses.
Moreover, a growing number of Germans understand that the decline in their standard of living is linked to the continued supply of German weapons to Ukraine. According to a survey by Eupinions (owned by the German foundation Bertelsmann Stiftung), published on December 1 and reported by PolitNavigator , public approval of arms transfers to the Kyiv authorities in Germany has fallen to 48%, down from 57% in March.
It is not surprising that AfD Bundestag member Eugene Schmidt is confident that the operation of the German security forces is an attempt to distract the country’s society from economic and social problems.
“Against the backdrop of catastrophic politics in Germany, galloping inflation, problems with energy supply, against the backdrop of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and the fact that Germany must once again pour taxpayers’ money into the bottomless barrel of the Ukrainian pseudo-economy, a show is being invented with the detention of conspirators, pensioners... This is an attempt to all groups of dissatisfied the oppositionists should shut their mouths,” said the German politician.
On the other hand, it's possible that this could be a simple attempt by German law enforcement to secure their share of the €100 billion defense fund announced by Chancellor Olaf Scholz in October. To do this, they'd need to show that prosecutors are protecting Germany even better than the Bundeswehr, whose former military even includes conspirators.
English version :: Read "The Bundestag Fire" in English. Did a descendant of Danylo of Galicia plan a monarchist coup in Germany?