Interaction with ‘state deniers’ – ‘Reichsbürger’, ‘self-governors’, civil law proponents and other problematic clients

theme No.: 34d
responsible federal state: Saxony-Anhalt
date: 30.10.2023 - 02.11.2023

The conference addresses judges of courts at all levels as well as public prosecutors.
It is designed to serve as an introduction to the phenomenon of state deniers and their bizarre belief systems. This is a very heterogeneous group of individuals: some believe in the continued existence of the German Reich (so-called ‘Reichsbürger’ – Citizens of the Reich), some that it is possible to ‘drop out’ of the ‘system’ of the Federal Republic of Germany and be answerable only to themselves (so-called ‘self-governors’), while others claim that Germany is a business, namely ‘BRD GmbH’, which has no sovereign powers and only has authority to act under civil law (so-called ‘civil law proponents’). They often adopt a menacing and belligerent attitude, and can be very difficult for servants of the court and other officials to deal with.
Ever since shots were fired at police officers, it has become increasingly apparent that these groups are also potentially very dangerous.
The event will inform participants about the ideology of those who embrace these mindsets and will consider the typical arguments put forward by such individuals. De-escalation and preventive strategies will also be considered from a psychological and psychiatric perspective. Recommendations for legal and concrete responses will also be proposed.

This conference is also being advertised to members of the European Judicial Training Network (EJTN). It is especially well-suited to participants from abroad as well as from Germany itself.

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