Reichsbürger movement facts for kids

In Berlin, Germany, people are protesting. They are part of groups who believe the current German government is not real.

A sign on a house showing support for the Reichsbürger movement.

The Reichsbürger movement (which means "Citizens of the Reich" in German) is made up of different groups and people in Germany. They believe that the current German government is not real or legal. Because of this, they think they don't have to follow Germany's laws.

These groups are often quite small. Their ideas are usually against democracy, which is a system where people vote for their leaders. Instead, they often want a monarchy (a country ruled by a king or queen) or a state with a very strong leader. Many also believe that the history taught in schools, especially about World War II, is not true. Their views are often very extreme and can include ideas that are unfair to certain groups of people.

What Do Reichsbürger Believe?

The main idea of the Reichsbürger movement is that the old German Empire, which existed before and during World War I, still exists today. They believe it never truly ended, even after World War II. They think there is a secret or hidden government that should be in charge. Each Reichsbürger group often believes they are part of this "real" government.

These ideas first appeared in the 1980s. They became more noticeable around 2013. Some people in these groups are willing to use force to push their beliefs. In 2020, it was estimated that over 19,000 people in Germany had similar views to the Reichsbürger movement.

Why Do These Groups Exist?

People join or support these movements for different reasons. Some common goals or beliefs include:

• Making fake documents: They might create false documents like driving licenses or passports, claiming these are real because they don't recognize the official government.
• Avoiding rules: They try to avoid paying taxes, fines, or following other legal rules because they don't believe the laws apply to them.
• Other illegal actions: Sometimes, their beliefs can lead them to break laws.

Images for kids

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  A map showing the borders of the German Reich in 1910.

See also

In Spanish: Movimiento Ciudadanos del Reich para niños