Harmless ‘cranks’ or dangerous extremists?
Anyone hearing the terms ‘Reichsbürger’ or ‘Selbstverwalter’ for the very first time, or who has not yet thoroughly researched their views and activities, might instinctively think: ‘Just leave them be! They’re harmless blokes, perhaps a bit eccentric, but they’re not doing anyone any harm. You don’t have to take everything so seriously, do you!?’ Unfortunately, such an assessment would fail to recognise the bitter realities. For anyone who has any doubts about this, I would strongly recommend reading the reports published by the German federal and state constitutional protection agencies in recent years, as both these agencies and the federal and state police forces have recently had to deal with these phenomena very intensively. Unfortunately!
Read the full column here: Reich citizens, self-governors & Co.