Georgensgmünd, Germany

“Reich citizen” kills officer: German authorities have expressed concern about the apparent radicalisation of the Reichsbürger (“Reich Citizen”) movement following two attacks on police, one of which was fatal. The movement rejects the legitimacy of the modern Federal Republic of Germany, and seeks to adhere instead to laws of the German Reich which ended in 1945. Although many “Reich Citizens” are far-right extremists, others say their allegiance is to the pre-WWI empire – and they have often been dismissed as harmless cranks. However, last week a selfproclaimed Reichsbürger, a 49-year-old gun enthusiast whose licence had been revoked, opened fire on four police officers in the Bavarian town of Georgensgmünd, killing one. A day later, a self-styled Reich Citizen who had refused to comply with modern dog-licensing laws, attacked police officers in the eastern town of Salzwedel.