“Armed resistance” against lockdown goes on trial in Germany

Court accepts indictment against three men accused of manufacturing weapons and carrying out exercises with the aim of forcibly resisting restrictions against Covid-19 imposed in 2020 and 2021. The Regional Court of Koblenz, in western Germany, announced this Friday ( 10/05) who accepted the accusations against three men accused of forming a group called “Paladin”. The trio is accused of planning “armed resistance” against restrictions imposed during the coronavirus pandemic, such as lockdowns.

According to the Public Ministry, the three men participated in paramilitary-style training exercises between February and May 2021 and also made 3D prints of improvised weapon parts and ammunition.

The investigation was first announced when the suspects were detained in December last year, following cooperation from the youngest member of the group with authorities in Portugal, where he was living at the time.

The indictment names this 39-year-old suspect as the leader and founding member of the group.

He is accused of encouraging the belief that the State was trying to restrict the population’s basic freedoms under the pretext of trying to contain the pandemic. The group’s activities reportedly began at the end of 2020, around six months after the start of restrictions, which were practically widespread in Germany and many other countries.

What prosecutors allege

Prosecutors argue that the group’s members believed that Germany’s army and police had become “accomplices” in a conspiracy and that armed resistance – or at least preparation for it – was therefore necessary and justified.

Between February and March 2021, according to prosecutors, the leader recruited a 63-year-old man and a 57-year-old man for the cause. They then allegedly participated in paramilitary-style training and exercises together.

The main suspect remains in pre-trial detention, and the other two are free. They are accused of forming an armed group, forming or participating in a criminal organization and violating weapons laws – but are not accused of a violent act.

Pandemic lasted three years

Like what happened in many countries, Germany imposed comprehensive restrictions on travel, commerce and public life amid the pandemic, which was conceptualized and declared by the World Health Organization (WHO) on March 11, 2020.

Measures were constantly changing, often based on the number of cases. In total, the period extended from March 2020 until the summer of 2022. Two notable German moves to ease most major domestic restrictions took place two years ago, in March and June.

If, on the one hand, the restrictions helped reduce the spread of the coronavirus in the country, on the other, they proved to be fertile for anti-vaccination groups or those who believe in some type of conspiracy on the part of the State.

On May 5, 2023, the WHO declared the official end of the covid-19 pandemic, which officially killed more than 6.9 million people worldwide and left several communities devastated in economic and psychological terms.

gb (AFP, dpa)