Germany news: Trial of alleged 'Reichsbürger' group ringleaders begins

Skip next section What you need to know

What you need to know

• Four alleged ringleaders of a banned, far-right 'Reichsbürger' group are facing court
• A study warns water use by data centers in Germany could more than double by 2030
• German lawmakers are set to vote on a bill to toughen penalties for the use of date-rape drugs 

Read below for the top headlines from across Germany on Friday, November 6:

Skip next section Four alleged 'Kingdom of Germany' leaders on trial

November 6, 2026

Four alleged 'Kingdom of Germany' leaders on trial

Four alleged ringleaders of the banned far-right "Kingdom of Germany" (KRD) are expected to appear before the Düsseldorf Higher Regional Court this morning.

The group is part of a conspiracy theorist movement that rejects the legitimacy of the modern German republic.

Authorities banned the KRD in May 2025 after monitoring its activities for more than a decade. Since then, the four defendants, including the group's so-called "King" Peter Fitzek, have been held in pre-trial detention.

They have been charged with membership in a criminal organization and other offenses, including document forgery and tax evasion amounting to millions of euros.   

The Federal Prosecutor's Office accuses Fitzek and his co-defendants of seeking to replace the German republic with their own system. They are alleged to have set up "pseudo-state structures" such as a banking and insurance system, as well as a "registration office" that issued fictitious identity documents.

At the time the group was banned, hundreds of police officers carried out raids on 15 properties across Germany. They seized "further evidence of the association's anti-constitutional goals and activities," according to the Interior Ministry.

Authorities said the group had acquired land through donations with the aim of reducing the territory of Germany.

According to the prosecutor's office, they sought to expand their purported territory to the borders of the German Empire of 1871.

The group is estimated to have had around 1,000 followers at the time it was banned.

What is the banned 'Kingdom of Germany' group?

Edited by:Sean Sinico

https://p.dw.com/p/5P8VH

Skip next section Welcome to our coverage

November 6, 2026

Welcome to our coverage

Guten morgen from the DW newsroom here on the banks of the Rhine in Bonn.

About 70 kilometers (43 miles) further north, the trial of four alleged ringleaders of the banned "Kingdom of Germany" (KRD) is expected to begin Friday in the city of Düsseldorf.   

KRD is part of Germany's "Reichsbürger" movement, which rejects the modern German state and its structure as illegitimate. The group is accused of setting up its own structures, including a banking and insurance system.

Also making news, the German parliament is voting on whether to impose harsher penalties for the use of date rape drugs.

And, a new study suggests the expansion of data centers in Germany catering to the AI boom could lead to water stress.