Defendant in German Reich Citizens trial denies he wanted armed coup

A man charged with membership in Germany’s Reich Citizens extremist movement has denied accusations that he was involved in a conspiracy to violently overthrow the government, according to a statement read in court on Wednesday.

The trial at the higher regional court in the south-western city of Stuttgart concerns the military wing of the group linked to Prince Heinrich XIII of Reuss, who prosecutors say was a key figure in an alleged coup plot.

“I’m a tradesman from the Black Forest,” said the man accused of being a senior member of the military wing.

The mere thought that people should have been executed made him shudder, the 42-year-old defendant said, according to a statement read out by his lawyer.

While he had been unhappy with the German legal system following the pandemic, his dissatisfaction hadn’t been along those lines, the suspect said, referring to the coup plan allegations.

Prosecutors accuse the man of having joined the Reich Citizens group believed to have been led by Reuss, who continues to use the title of prince even though the monarchy was abolished over 100 years ago, by June 2022.

In the statement, the defendant denied having had any intention to enter public buildings to arrest or even kill members of the government.

However, he did admit that he believed that an international secret society, a so-called alliance, would overthrow the government in Germany. He said that his work in the group had been focussed on plans for rebuilding structures after the coup.

The Reich Citizens, or Reichsbürger in German, claim the historical German Reich of 1871 to 1945, with an emperor as head of state, is the country’s legitimate form of government. As such, they do not recognize the current German government or its institutions.

The group was exposed following multiple raids in several German states and abroad in 2022.

In total some 26 suspects are alleged to have planned a violent overthrow of the German government, and according to the federal prosecutor’s office, they accepted the risk of others dying in the attempt.

The 73-year-old Reuss was to have acted as the head of a new form of government. He has denied being the ringleader of the coup plot.

Three separate trials linked to the allegations are currently under way in Stuttgart, Frankfurt and Munich.

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