16. December 2022

A prince. A celebrity chef. A plot. And a warning for democracies everywhere A prince. A celebrity chef. A plot. And a warning for democracies everywhere

Opinion by Thomas Weber

Thomas Weber comments on the Reichsbürger movement in a piece for CNN.

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"Until last week, hardly anyone had heard of Heinrich XIII Prince Reuss, the 71-year-old descendant of a minor German princely family. Even his family had reportedly ostracized him years ago for his extreme views.

Yet for the Reichsbürger movement – the political group behind what prosecutors recently described as a thwarted plot to overthrow German democracy – Heinrich XIII was exactly the man, or rather the prince, they needed.

Absurdly, the Reichsbürger believe that Imperial Germany, which came crashing down a century ago, must be re-established for Germany to rise from the ashes again."

Thomas Weber is Professor of History and International Affairs and Director of the Centre for Global Security and Governance at the University of Aberdeen & Associate Fellow of the Center for Advanced Security, Strategic and Integration Studies at the University of Bonn.

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