As of: 04/05/2023 08:16 a.m
They are painters, masseurs or undertakers, sell solar systems or vegan food. Dozens of companies see themselves as part of a fictitious “Kingdom of Germany”. The Office for the Protection of the Constitution assigns them to the “Reichsbürger” scene.
The magnolia trees are in full bloom in the quiet district of Karlsruhe. Nothing suggests revolutionary activities here. And yet: on the doorbell of an inconspicuous residential building, three letters indicate just such thoughts, because a “company in the KRD” is said to be found here. A company that is committed to the fictitious “Kingdom of Germany”, probably the largest group of so-called “Reich citizens”.
Fictional state, fictional places
The Karlsruhe company offers massages. Not only on the doorbell, but also on his website, you can find the information that you are a “company in the KRD” and that the “headquarters” are “Petersplatz 6 in Lutherstadt Wittenberg, Kingdom of Germany”. However, there is no place with this name in the city in Saxony-Anhalt.
But there is Peter Fitzek, the inventor of the “Kingdom”. The trained cook and esotericist has been fooling the authorities for years. And still finds more and more followers. His imaginative career has apparently brought him plenty of money and two locks, but also the attention of the security authorities. But the owner of the massage practice in Karlsruhe doesn’t want to talk about any of this, not at the door and not on the phone.
Surreal “Founding of an Empire” with scepter and crown
Around eleven years ago, Fitzek invented his fantasy realm, accepted the sceptre, orb and crown in a seemingly surreal scene and had the “founding of the state” extensively filmed. Since then – and especially since the Corona pandemic – his followers have grown steadily: According to their own statements, there are now 5,000 followers nationwide, and the Office for the Protection of the Constitution also considers this number to be only moderately exaggerated. A promotional video published on the company’s own Internet platform “KRDtube” shows how Fitzek’s supporters are currently renovating several castles in Saxony. So-called “public welfare villages” are to follow, and a whole empire is to emerge.
Some dropouts and self-employed entrepreneurs seem to find his offer attractive. In a “system exit seminar” in Wittenberg, they should learn to appreciate the advantages of the “Reich”: “Freedom for entrepreneurs in the KRD” promises a letter of invitation. Literally it says: “The KRD allows its entrepreneurs complete tax exemption. The tax office of the FRG is no longer responsible. The structures have been tried and tested for nine years.”
Website speaks of “single company in the kingdom”
A master painter in the district of Ludwigsburg apparently found these claims to be convincing. According to the website, it is a “single company in the Kingdom of Germany (KRD)”. The man declines an interview, but his website reveals a lot about his motives: “As a company in the KRD, we actively promote a completely new public welfare system for the benefit of people, animals and nature.”
Goals that can of course also be achieved within the legal framework of the Federal Republic of Germany. The master painter drives a van with official German license plates. But inscriptions on the car make it clear to everyone that they work “for relatives in the KRD”.
The company has been deleted from the responsible chamber of crafts in Stuttgart since 2021. Should he continue to offer his services, it would be an “unauthorized exercise of a craft” and “undeclared work”, emphasizes general manager Peter Friedrich. Even the customers may commit administrative offenses and would not be entitled to a warranty.
Flyer advertises “pioneers”
The chamber and the authorities still have to clarify whether the master painter actually violates applicable law. But one thing is already clear: He actively offers his services on the market. Namely on a kind of business directory of the alleged “Kingdom of Germany” called “KadaRi”. The abbreviation stands for “buy the right thing” and, according to its own statements, lists around 350 “suppliers”. However, the number is probably inflated by double entries. A flyer from last summer entitled “Freedom for Entrepreneurs in the KRD” mentions 200, then 300 entrepreneurs who “have gone ahead as pioneers”.
A review by the SWR showed that around 100 websites are currently active, indicate business activity and state their affiliation with “KRD” in the imprint. The focal points are Baden-Württemberg and North Rhine-Westphalia. No such provider was found in only two federal states.
Consumer advocates are suing
In Frankfurt, consumer advocates are now taking action against such an operation: The locally known influencer and self-proclaimed nutritionist “Mr. Raw” claims on one of his websites that customers “have a temporary affiliation with the Kingdom of Germany (KRD) for the duration of the business relationship”.
In February, the consumer advice center in Hesse was the first nationwide to file an injunction. “If German consumers are offered contracts in Germany, only the regulations of German law are to be applied, from which no deviations may be made,” it says. If the Frankfurt district court agrees, every reference to the fantasy monarchy from the imprint of the “DrRaw.de” page would have to disappear.
“Mr. Raw” responded with a 134-page statement stating the SWR present. It claims that the consumer advice center is recognizing with its actions “that the Kingdom of Germany is an independent state”. Philipp Wendt, head of the Hesse consumer advice center, is not deterred by this: “If our lawsuit is successful, we will also warn other companies in the KRD,” he said SWR.