1. Prince Putsch and his Gaga squad
Two days after the arrest of Henry XIII.
A SPIEGEL team has reconstructed how Prince Reuss and his "Reichsbürger" troupe were supposed to go about their coup d'etat.
The members of the group were therefore preparing for a "Day X" on which they wanted to penetrate the Reichstag building with a good two dozen people.
In the Bundestag, MPs and members of the government should then apparently be handcuffed.
According to investigators, some of the conspirators hoped that the action would lead to unrest across the country and ultimately to a coup.
An interim government was to be formed, with Prince Reuss at its head.
"We'll flatten them now, that's the end of the fun!" he is said to have said in a phone call.
The new SPIEGEL with the title "Operation Staatsstreich" - now digital and from Saturday at the kiosk
A kind of shadow government has apparently met at least five times this year.
According to investigations, an ex-policeman should become Minister of the Interior, and former AfD member of the Bundestag Birgit Malsack-Winkelmann was planned as Minister of Justice.
A doctor from Lower Saxony was to take over the office of "Commissioner for Spirituality and Medicine".
An astrologer from the Bergstrasse district was responsible for »transcommunication«.
On her website she offers forecasts for the future.
Apparently, predictions did not mean that an investigating judge would send her behind bars.
The investigators were also convinced that the troops believed in an international secret alliance, the "Alliance."
The men and women are said to have been waiting longingly for her to rush to their aid and "clear" the upper levels of the Federal Republic.
Then they could overthrow the rest of the country.
Enlarge image
Raid on the AfD federal referee and ex-Bundestag member Malsack-Winkemann
Photo: Martin Brinckmann / DER SPIEGEL
Do you have to take Prince Putsch and his Gaga squad seriously?
"The Federal Republic of Germany was not threatened by either a coup d'etat or a putsch," writes our columnist Thomas Fischer today, who was a judge at the Federal Court of Justice for many years.
"The danger emanating from lateral-thinking conspiracy ideologues is not taken seriously enough," my colleague Ann-Katrin Müller, on the other hand, writes in the SPIEGEL editorial.
It is doubtful that the conspirators could have carried out their operation.
Nevertheless, the authorities considered the troops to be very dangerous, if only because several members had access to weapons or even had a military background.
My colleagues write in their cover story in the new SPIEGEL: "They could have done a lot of damage already on the way to the great overthrow, the fanaticism of some members could have led to knee-jerk actions."
In addition, there are probably tens of thousands of people in Germany who think like Prince Reuss.
In April, a citizen of the Reich fired on police officers in Boxberg-Bobstadt.
In the district of Lörrach, a police officer was apparently deliberately run over during a traffic check.
The driver explained to the magistrate that they had no right to arrest him, that the judge lacked "legal capacity".
Just recently, a group from the "Reichsbürger" milieu apparently hatched plans to kidnap Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach in front of the camera, live on a talk show, code word "Klabautermann".
Totally crazy?
Unfortunately yes.
My colleagues spoke to a high-ranking investigator who says that ideological obstinacy and irrationality make Reich citizens particularly dangerous.
Read the SPIEGEL cover story here: The putsch fantasies of the »Reichsbürger« troop
2. Baerbock versus Bismarck
While the left-wing scene in Hamburg is still discussing how the Bismarck statue in the Old Elbpark could be toppled off its pedestal, Green Minister Annalena Baerbock in Berlin is already one step further.
The "Bismarck Room" in the Foreign Office, where Baerbock's managers meet every morning to discuss the situation, was recently renamed.
The Iron Chancellor's name was written in gold letters above the front door;
now he is gone.
Now the meeting room is called »Hall of German Unity«.
Apparently, people simply no longer felt comfortable with old Otto, who was the founder and namesake of the Federal Foreign Office a good 150 years ago, but according to all that is known, hardly ever said a word about feminist foreign policy.
In fact, you have to see the renaming in a larger context.
The traffic light rulers, especially the Greens, want to get as far away as possible from Prussia and its legacy that Germany carries around with it, away from Pickelhaube and Piefke, away from blood and iron.
Enlarge image
Photo: Jonas Klueter / picture alliance / dpa
The Green Minister of State for Culture, Claudia Roth, wants to reform the State Foundation for Prussian Cultural Heritage and would probably like to rename it right away.
She finds “Prussian” inappropriate.
And what a joy it was when Heinrichplatz in Kreuzberg, named after Prince Heinrich of Prussia, was renamed this summer!
It's now called Rio-Reiser-Platz, after the singer of the squatter band Ton Steine Scherben.
"Rio fought against a system that is destroying us - shit capitalism," said a speech at the inauguration ceremony with Roth, who used to be the manager of the Reiser band and now, in a way, set a monument to herself.
Fighting shitty capitalism - Bismarck, as a co-inventor of the German Reich, German social security and the Bismarck herring, can of course pack up against it.
Nevertheless, I wonder whether it is wise to break with Prussia now, of all times, during the crisis.
Where Germany's army is experiencing a renaissance and Baerbock's party friend Robert Habeck is swearing in the population to self-discipline, renunciation and frugality.
Take a cold shower, heat up briefly, hardly complain: Aren't those proverbial Prussian virtues?
Read more here: Prussia's end
3. With Béla Réthy through the World Cup
Schumacher, Augenthaler, Magath, Rummenigge, Völler: these were the names of the players in the German squad when Béla Réthy commented on a World Cup for ZDF for the first time in 1986.
Réthy's last game for ZDF will be a semi-final next week.
On Wednesday he will be 66, when he will retire.
My colleague Peter Ahrens often met Rethy, he writes: "He was mocked, attacked - but he always remained true to himself."
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Sports reporter Réthy in front of World Cup Stadium 974 in Doha
Photo:
Stefan Matzke / sampics / DER SPIEGEL
From a journalist's point of view, Réthy has experienced heavenly times, says Peter.
Once, Brazil's superstar Zico was struggling with a knee injury in a tournament, so Réthy went to the Brazilian headquarters and asked the spokesman for information.
His answer: "Just ask him yourself, he's back in the gym." Today, an army of media officers, player advisors, security guards and association officials would have intervened.
Réthy told Peter that he would now buy a Bulli and drive around Europe in it.
“Germany is getting on my nerves a bit at the moment.” Morality everywhere, outrage everywhere, and smoking is no longer allowed in the press gallery.
I will miss Réthy as a commentator.
The fact that he kept confusing the names of the players was a gift.
In return, he spared you the tactical gibberish about tipping sixes as well as the distanceless cheering on your own team.
And tonight?
Argentina meets the Netherlands in the quarter-finals and my colleague Felix Dachsel is looking forward to it.
In his World Cup column he writes: "We are lucky enough to be a contemporary of Lionel Messi, with the unique luck of seeing him play." Felix once saw Messi against Eibar at the Barcelona stadium, Messi scored four Gates:
»The choruses echoed through the stadium: Messi! Messi! Messi! People rose and bowed as if worshiping him. I toasted my cousin: You see, that's him, that's football, the most beautiful sport there is. Lionel Messi is the embodiment of a lightness that we long for. We who are not able to soar like him. We drove home on scooters, satisfied, and maybe for a moment it felt like we were floating too.«
Read the whole story here: »Germany is getting on my nerves a bit at the moment«
News and background to the war in Ukraine
Kiev warns of fake recruitment letters for the Ukrainian army in Germany:
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has warned of perfidious letters in Germany: the forged letters offer the addressee service in the Ukrainian army – and a lot of money in the event of death.
Kremlin critic Yashin sentenced to a long prison term:
Ilya Yashin spoke on YouTube about the massacre carried out by Russian soldiers in Bucha, Ukraine.
A court in Moscow has now sentenced him to eight and a half years in prison.
Pope Francis cries during prayer for Ukraine: On the
occasion of a holiday, Pope Francis prayed publicly in Rome on Thursday.
When he wants to include Ukraine in his intercession, he begins to cry and for a long time cannot continue speaking.
Find all the latest developments on the war in Ukraine here: The News Update
What else is important today
Security guard dies in major fire in Moscow shopping center:
First flames blazed, then an explosion caused the roof to collapse: Authorities in the Moscow region have confirmed the death of a man in a fire in a shopping center.
One in four stays in the home office:
The proportion of homework has increased dramatically in many areas.
In some sectors of the economy, employees hardly come to the office anymore.
However, some professional groups are left out of the trend.
WHO describes antibiotic resistance as a global threat:
An estimated 1.3 million people die every year because antibiotics do not work on their infections.
The WHO is deeply concerned, but sees hope - if doctors act now.
What listening to music too loud can do to teenagers:
Scientists warn of a hearing loss epidemic: According to a study, around a billion young people are at risk of hearing loss later in life.
What children and parents should pay attention to.
France is ramping up nuclear reactors again:
Technical problems and maintenance work had caused problems for nuclear power in France - now the reactors are gradually going back to the grid.
But concerns about blackouts remain.
My favorite story today: Stroke's law applies
No law leaves the Bundestag the way it came in.
This is Stroke's law, which everyone in political Berlin knows, including the very young MPs (if they don't, they will get to know it).
It goes back to Peter Struck, the former parliamentary group leader of the SPD.
Struck died of complications from a heart attack ten years ago, but his law is still widely cited.
It even stands on cups, from which coffee is sometimes drunk in the SPD parliamentary group.
That's what Juso boss Jessica Rosenthal has now told my colleagues Dirk Kurbjuweit and Veit Medick.
Enlarge image
SPD politician Struck (2004)
Photo:
Stefan Boness / Ipon
There is a second famous sentence by Struck, according to which Germany's security is also defended in the Hindu Kush.
However, this sentence is not quoted that often anymore.
On the anniversary of Struck's death on December 16, Dirk and Veit went in search of clues.
They found that it was former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder who invented the term "Struck's law."
And not Struck himself, as CDU party leader Friedrich Merz has believed so far.
Struck cared about the power of Parliament.
Merz is therefore probably right on another point.
In conversations with my colleagues, he bemoans the lack of gnarly but life-wise types like Struck in Parliament.
“Count up how many jobless people and university dropouts are sitting in the Bundestag today.” Who have never done anything other than politics all their lives.
They lack stature and sovereignty when it comes to the issues.
Dirk and Veit also spoke to former SPD leader Franz Müntefering.
What is sometimes forgotten about Stroke's law: that it has two sides, he said.
The government was signaled that their proposals would be changed.
And the company's own people are signaled that they have to work and make an effort.
A right and a duty.
That's how Struck saw it.
I recommend the text by Dirk and Veit because it is a touching reminder of a politician who was never famous for his work, but who enriched democracy with a wise sentence and is still a role model for members of parliament today.
Read the whole story here: »Besides, Stroke's law applies«
What we recommend at SPIEGEL+ today
The state is no longer fulfilling its educational
mandate for all children: primary schools are failing to teach all children the basics of German and mathematics.
Scientists come to this conclusion.
They demand fundamental reforms, including a kind of compulsory daycare for certain children.
»There is no company in the world that is not dependent on nature«:
The loss of biodiversity endangers our prosperity, says Akanksha Khatri from the World Economic Forum.
Here she calls for green cities, sustainable agriculture and indicators for sustainable management.
Why Dissatisfied Tesla Customers Take Us to Law:
Too slow speed, broken heater, failure-prone autopilot: Customers are disappointed with Tesla's quality and service.
They're suing the corporation they once admired.
"The fir tree has to take a good flight path":
Every year since 1997, Jürgen Hagenkötter has thrown Christmas trees onto ships in the port of Hamburg.
He knows from his father how lonely Christmas can be for seafarers.
Which is less important today
Enlarge image
Harry and Meghan (in September 2022)
Photo: Rolf Vennenbernd / dpa
Fraternal row:
Prince William, 40, Crown Prince of the United Kingdom, is said to be not amused by the new Netflix documentary of his brother Harry and his wife Meghan.
William was "pissed off," writes the newspaper "Mirror."
The Sun believes the entire royal family is "in a state of sadness."
William is particularly upset that the series also features his mother Princess Diana's infamous interview about the affair of her ex-husband Charles, now the king.
William assumed that the excerpts would never be shown again and that he agreed with his brother.
Now he feels cheated.
Typo of the day
, now corrected: "On the occasion of a holiday, Pope Francis prayed publicly in Rome on Thursday."
Cartoon of the Day:
Iran
And tonight?
More than twenty years ago I saw Udo Jürgens perform, I had no expectations, I'm not a pop fan, but it was fantastic.
People of all ages sang along from the first to the last minute, were happy and moved.
Name me another German-speaking artist who did it this way, I don't know any (no, not even Bläck Fööss, Hildegard Knef or Blixa Geld, who I love).
"Traumtänzer" video shoot 1983 on the Jungfraujoch: "Udo Jürgens stands for Udo Jürgens"
Photo:
Ariola archive / BMC image
I have now heard from my colleague Felix Bayer that there will be a new Udo Jürgens album called »Da Capo« next week, eight years after his death.
A legal dispute that has so far prevented posthumous publications has apparently been settled.
So there are 60 titles that, as Felix writes, give an idea of how wide the musical spectrum of the musician, who is often regarded as just a hit star, stretched: "Huge hits like 'But please with cream' or 'Mit 66 Jahre' are there, other classics like 'Greek Wine' or 'Seventeen Year, Blonde Hair' in more subtle English-language versions.
But you also hear early jazz recordings, live versions and rarely noticed album tracks.
Some things will be available digitally for the first time, other rarities have never been published before.«
Unfortunately, it will still be a few days before you can buy the album.
But of the 100 million Udo Jürgens recordings that have already been sold, you certainly have one at home, so start the weekend in a good mood.
Thank you very much for the flowers!
I wish you a nice evening.
Yours sincerely,
Alexander Neubacher