Interior Minister Faeser warns of a growing Reich citizen scene. An increase to 23,000 extremists could be observed. The SPD politician also announces that gun laws will be tightened.
Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser (SPD) has warned of a growing danger from the so-called Reichsbürger scene, which has recently become popular. The number of people who the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution currently assigns to the Reichsbürger milieu has risen by 2000 to 23,000 people compared to the previous year, Faeser told the “Bild am Sonntag”. Ten percent of them are considered violent, so last year alone 239 acts of violence were registered by Reich citizens.
“We are not dealing with harmless cranks, but with terror suspects who are all in custody now,” said Faeser, referring to the authorities’ current attack on the scene. At least 1,050 Reich citizens have already had their gun permits revoked, Faeser explained, adding that the government will “further tighten gun laws shortly.”
With a view to the arrested AfD politician Birgit Malsack-Winkemann, who was in possession of a Bundestag card even after she left the Bundestag in 2021, traffic light politicians are calling for better protection of parliament. The deputy leader of the SPD parliamentary group, Dirk Wiese, wants to put the Bundestag’s security concept to the test. “This includes access authorizations for employees as well as for former MPs,” said Wiese of the “Bild am Sonntag”. According to information from the newspaper, the Council of Elders in Parliament is to discuss this next week.
On Wednesday, the police and the Federal Public Prosecutor took action nationwide against a suspected terrorist network of Reich citizens who are said to have planned a violent overthrow. 25 people were arrested, including Malsack-Winkemann.
