A few weeks ago, the police and the judiciary carried out a major raid against so-called Reich citizens. In many municipal offices or authorities, letters from this scene are now part of everyday life.
Erfurt (dpa/th) - In some parts of Thuringia, municipal administrations are again receiving mail from self-proclaimed "Reich citizens" much more frequently. At the Schmalkalden-Meiningen district office, for example, there has recently been "a very strong increase" in such letters, said a spokesman for the German Press Agency. This trend was already apparent before the start of the corona pandemic. But since the district office began to initiate administrative offense proceedings for violations of corona-related requirements, there have been significantly more letters from the milieu. These letters went primarily to the cash register of the district office, to the fine office, to the social welfare office and the youth welfare office, it said. It is repeatedly made clear that the senders do not accept government measures and procedures.
"Reich citizens" are people who do not recognize the Federal Republic and the legal system. The security authorities recently arrested 25 suspected "Reich citizens" in a raid. 22 of them are accused of being members of a terrorist organization that wanted to overthrow the political system.
In other parts of Thuringia, however, the municipal administrations are apparently not confronted with "Reichsbürger" mail as often as in the south of the Free State. A spokeswoman said that the Nordhausen district office had not received any letters from Reich citizens.
From Gera it was said that during the peak phase of the pandemic and the associated restrictions there were more letters from the Reich than before. "It's flattened out again at the moment," said a spokeswoman for the city administration.
According to the information, there is no increase in the city administrations of Weimar and Erfurt. However, at least in Erfurt, such letters regularly ended up in the inbox, especially at the Citizens’ Registration Office. "Letters from Reich citizens preferably concern the fine office, since they also conduct procedures with people who do not live in Erfurt," said the spokeswoman for the Erfurt city administration. If there is a suspicion that someone is a "Reich citizen", the corresponding information is forwarded to the state administration office so that this office can inform the constitutional protection and the relevant weapons authorities.
According to the authorities, both in Erfurt and in Schmalkalden-Meiningen, among the senders of "Reichsbürger" letters are people who are already known to the authorities as supporters of this milieu. "But there are also some previously unknown people who are now using typical sample fonts," said the spokeswoman for the Erfurt city administration. The spokesman for the Schmalkalden-Meiningen district office made a similar statement.
