Among the list of European countries that have alt-right political movements on the rise, Germany is not to be overlooked.

The following clip (with transcript below) takes a look at Germany's alt-right/monarchist movement.

Host:

15,600 people, according to the German magazine Focus. That's how many so-called Reich Citizens live in Germany, as of this month. The Reich Citizens think that Germany's borders have been, so to say, downsized. The statistics are publicly available and were published by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution. The biggest number of Reichsbürgers live in Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg, and North Rhine-Westphalia. That is, in Germany's federal states that are traditionally considered to be some of the most developed and thriving. But it seems to be not enough.

They want the 1937 territories back. These are Danzig, which is now Polish Gdansk, and also Poland's Upper Silesia, and a small part of Saxony, which is also a part of Poland now. Overall, it's a new reason for Warsaw to express indignation, and demand reparations, apologies, or something else.

However, it's not just about Poland. These borders spread to Russia's Kaliningrad Oblast. It turned out that they want it back, too. What do we make of it? Georgy Podgorny will talk about that.

- Georgy, welcome.

Georgy Podgorny:

- Hello.

Host:

- Is this some sort of mass delusion?

Georgy:

- Maybe. Or, perhaps it seems like the logical direction that was chosen for people who are easily politically motivated.

"Germany is a corporation that so happens to be ruling the biggest part of the German Empire. Angela Merkel is this corporation's CEO. Consequently, the Bundestag workers are this company's employees, and all this is a Jewish and Masonic conspiracy."

Seems ridiculous, doesn't it? But over 15,000 Germans see history this way. According to them, Germany never signed a peace treaty after World War II. Experts are saying that even if this movement is absurd—it's small and under control.

Natalia Yankova, columnist (Germany):

"They think it's a Limited Liability Company, an LLC. Or a GmbH in German. If we look into them, the traces will lead us to German intelligence agencies. In other words, they're American intelligence agencies, obviously. I think that, of course, the US is playing an important role in this movement's support."

Georgy:

This is one of the versions. The Reich Citizens have many illusions. Experts say, "Let them believe in the 25th Reich if they want, just keep them at home." Here we have real fanatics that are simply dangerous.

Case in point—what happened in Bavaria. One of these zealots opened fire on policemen. They came to his home with a search warrant. Four were wounded, one died later. That's not the only case.

Natalia Yankova:

"They have plenty of arms. And it's mostly concentrated in Bavaria and all around Germany. Their influence has spread all across the country. But, of course, they prevail in the South. It gets scary when they're found with entire stockpiles full of guns. For example, when one person is found with 100 guns."

Georgy:

There's no unity in such a German kingdom. Some like the borders that were present during the reign of the Keiser, while others prefer the borders of 1937.

Let's look back a bit. Several years ago, a king called Peter Ficeg showed up. He crowned himself. He ruled God knows who and where, but not for a long time. He was quickly put in prison but not for his claims to power, but for fraud—1.5 million euros worth. He was doing business on the imperial movement by selling insurance, currency, and documents. Some specialists believe that the Hydra doesn't have a leader and that it mostly consists of armchair activists.

Alexander Kamkin, the Russian Academy of Sciences member:

"It's not a political party as we know them, like the Alternative for Germany or the NPD, or the New Right. It's an Internet movement that doesn't have centralized leadership or centralized coordination. It's kind of a synthetic politician movement, it's more like a political cosplayer group."

Georgy:

But not everything is so simple. Some can stay home, some are ready to take up arms, and some can create a new political wave. If the Reich Citizens movement doubled in a short period of time, who can guarantee that it won't grow more? At that point, pushing it into another direction might be tricky.

Armen Gasparyan, journalist:

"If the state and the government do nothing about the multiculturalism crisis, there will be a reaction. These people are most likely to start voting for the NPD. They will hate the NDP's program but will see in it a real alternative to the country's authorities, who can't fight the migration crisis."

The so-called Reichsbürgers are being counted, and when they behave suspiciously, they're checked. Meanwhile, German politicians aren't rushing to call the movement, which has over 15,000 followers, suspicious and potentially dangerous. Last year, the Bundestag received a deputy's request to check it. The official response from Berlin? Silence. No threats or criminals found.

Host:

- That was Georgy Podgorny, who talked about the Reichsbürgers' delusions.