"Reichsbürger" and "Selbstverwalter"

“Reichsbürger” and “Selbstverwalter” (literally, “citizens of the Reich” and “self-administrators”) are groups and individuals who for various motives and on various grounds – i. a. by referring to the historical German Reich, lines of argument used by conspiracy theorists or a self-defined law of nature – reject the existence of the Federal Republic of Germany and its legal system, deny the legitimacy of its democratically elected representatives or claim that the German legal order does not at all apply to them. Hence, there are concerns that they might infringe the law.

Only a small percentage of “Reichsbürger” and “Selbstverwalter” are also right-wing extremists. The majority display few elements of right-wing extremist ideology, if any. Regardless of this, it is especially the anti-state and conspiracy-related arguments put forward by these individuals that facilitate compatibility with antisemitic ideas, which also play an important role in right-wing extremism.

The antisemitic attitudes and assertions of “Reichsbürger” and “Selbstverwalter” range from accusations by unemployed individuals who blame their being out of work on people of Jewish faith, through openly antisemitic conspiracy theories often conveyed using codes, to Holocaust denial.

To spread their ideas and arguments, “Reichsbürger” and “Selbstverwalter” rely to a large extent on the Internet and on social networks. In the offline world, too, they undertake various activities to propagate their views, most of which are legal nonsense.

It is often difficult to distinguish between “Reichsbürger” and “Selbstverwalter”. As regards territory and governing law, “Reichsbürger” refer to some kind of “German Reich”, thus rejecting the Federal Republic of Germany. “Selbstverwalter” feel that they do not belong to the state and are not bound by its legal order. They declare their “secession” from the state and assert that they are “self-administrators”.

Strategies

Overall, scene members use manifold methods in order to spread their views, assert their own interests and complicate government action. Deliberate provocations are a regular feature of their approach.
To disrupt the procedures in government agencies or courts, for example, “Reichsbürger” and “Selbstverwalter” often send lengthy letters and fax messages to the authorities, seeking confrontation. Another goal is to intimidate and sometimes publicly denounce staff members of the authorities.

“Reichsbürger” and “Selbstverwalter” often deny the validity of identity documents issued by the Federal Republic of Germany. Instead, they propagate the idea of applying for a certificate of citizenship called the “yellow certificate”. It is an official document issued by the Federal Republic of Germany that confirms German citizenship and that is usually applied for by individuals living abroad whose German citizenship is in question for historical or personal reasons.

Additionally, the production and sale of fantasy documents as well as manipulations of registration plates – meant to serve as a visible sign of their deliberate dissociation from the German state – have become widespread among “Reichsbürger” and “Selbstverwalter”.

Violence and militancy

The high affinity for weapons in the “Reichsbürger” and “Selbstverwalter” scene is an increased potential threat and has time and again been confirmed through the detection of substantial amounts of weapons during enforcement measures. This is why the security agencies work towards the withdrawal of weapons permits from scene members and/or towards preventing that they receive such permits in the first place.

However, the scene members’ affinity for weapons also makes it likely that they will seek to obtain weapons illegally after their weapons permits have been withdrawn.

The unsophisticated world view of many “Reichsbürger” and “Selbstverwalter” – shaped by conspiracy theories, a rejection of the state and including antisemitic, racist, and historically and territorially revisionist attitudes – means that enforcement measures against them have only a limited effect. While the individuals concerned sometimes keep a low profile for a time, they usually do not break with the scene completely.

Their denial of the legitimacy and sovereignty of the Federal Republic of Germany and their fundamental rejection of its legal order and its representatives lead to a hostile stance that has the potential to manifest itself in the most severe acts of violence.