Neighbours of prince who wanted to be Kaiser 'shocked' by coup plot in Germany
The Frankfurt neighbours of a German prince suspected of plotting to be kaiser in a coup expressed shock and disbelief on Wednesday nationwide raids and the arrest of 25 people.
Melanie Merle said: “You hear about such plans from other countries but for this to happen outside my front door?”
Another passer-by, Sascha Lutfulla, said: “It’s a shock that our neighbour organised a putsch with right-wing radicals, with those fascists.”
Heinrich XIII Prince Reuss is one of the last descendants of a dynasty that once ruled over large parts of eastern Germany. He is suspected of hoping to become the country's new leader in a violent coup to overthrow the democratic order.
The 71-year-old was one of 25 members and supporters of a far-right group planning the alleged putsch who were arrested early on Wednesday, according to the authorities.
The real estate developer has for years publicly advocated the theory that life was better worldwide under a monarchy.
He stems from the House of Reuss, which for centuries ruled over parts of the present-day Thueringen state until Germany's 1918 revolution that led to the establishment of the Weimar Republic.
Neither the House of Reuss nor Prince Reuss' Office responded to requests for comment.
A former parliamentary lawmaker from the far-right Alternative For Germany (AfD) was also among those detained, according to German prosecutors.
A statement dated December 7 on AfD's website said the party condemned the plot
“It’s a development which shows that right-wing extremism is moving from the margins to the centre and that protagonists from this scene can imagine overthrowing the state order,” Alexander Haeusler from the Duesseldorf University of Applied Sciences told Reuters Television.
“These groups are not individual cases, but they are actually mushrooming,” said Haeusler.
Reuters
