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When one thinks of extreme right threats to democratic structures in Germany, parties such as ‘Alternative für Deutschland’ (AfD) or groups such as the ‘Identitäre Bewegung’ (IB) immediately spring to mind. Another, less conspicuous threat is that of the ethnic settlers.
Who are the ethnic settlers?
Ethnic settlers are individuals, families and/or groups of people who deliberately settle in rural areas with the aim of creating ethnically homogeneous living spaces. Their ideology is based on ethnic nationalism rooted in ‘Blood and Soil’ ideology which posits that only individuals with ‘pure German’ ancestry can be classified as belonging to the German people, whereas all individuals outside this group are considered inferior. In addition to the genetic and personal connection, there is also a territorial predetermination and focus: The living space ‘naturally assigned’ to individuals is understood as a predetermined right threatened by ‘foreign infiltration’, something which in the worst case can lead to the 'Volkstod' (death of the people). Volkstod is used as a keyword by the extreme right to summarise various threats such as immigration, integration, migration from rural areas, and democracy. The solution proposed is a homogeneous national community. Within this ideological framework, which juxtaposes friends and enemies, community is prioritized over the individual. Compared to its origins in National Socialism and the use of the term ‘race’, today's discourse has changed. It refers to the ideology of ethnopluralism, which no longer speaks of ‘race’ but of ethnic groups.
Families and Festivals
The long-term goal of settlement is also reflected in the family concept. Fundamentally, the gender-binary division of roles is stereotypical, with the man as the breadwinner outside the home and the woman as the person responsible for raising the children and running the household. The family is considered the smallest and most important unit of the ‘Volk,’ within which the attributed role of the woman as mother is understood as both obligatory and valued. Exchange and fellowship with like-minded people, as well as the organisation and implementation of traditional events, continue to be important. The focus here is often on Nordic Germanic customs, which include festivals such as the summer and winter solstices, Yule celebrations and harvest festivals.
Children and young people growing up in these structures are socialised with this ideological orientation from the outset and take part in events organised by youth associations. These consist of a mixture of discipline resembling military drill, submission and the idea of ethnic life, the aim of which is to ‘immunise’ children and young people against the outside.
Settlement regions and strategies
The central characteristic is a territorial focus on rural areas, based on the belief that it is possible to live there largely undisturbed by urban, pluralistic influences. Other factors that play a decisive role in the choice of location include lower property prices, greater freedom of action and often a lower proportion of people with a migrant background. These factors correspond with the general exodus of many people from these areas, resulting in vacant properties, which are then occupied by the settlers.
People who fit the description of an ethnic settler usually do not seek to withdraw completely from society but rather push for integration into local communities. In many places, ethnic settler families were initially perceived as being attached to their homeland and down-to-earth, and their voluntary work in various areas of the community was also viewed positively. By initially keeping their ideological convictions to themselves, they hope to use integration to gain acceptance and bring about a gradual process of normalisation. Strategic settlement can be understood at the social and territorial level as the occupation of spaces. This strategy of settlement in rural areas has its origins in the settlement of NS-members in rural areas after 1945, where they could pass on their ideology to subsequent generations with as little interference as possible.
As ethnic settlers aim to live undisturbed within their own territories, they also work towards becoming partially self-sufficient and independent from larger economic and ecological (supply) structures, for example through the acquisition of craft skills. Agriculture serves an important purpose, as working with ‘German soil’ secures the existence of the ‘German people’ and, in an emergency, can create the basis for self-directed exclusion processes in food distribution and an associated position of power. Through their lifestyle, they also try to win supporters, which is why they exploit issues such as nature conservation for their own ends. This and similar issues are linked by people on the radical right to the preservation of the German people. As with all areas of phenomena, however, it should be emphasised that not all persons who can be subsumed under this category necessarily follow this practice.
Examples of ethnic settler movements
To illustrate the complexity of this phenomenon, I would like to briefly discuss two well-known examples of groups with ethnic settlement aspirations: the ‘Anastasia-Bewegung’ (the Anastasia-Movement) and ‘Die Artgemeinschaft – Germanische Glaubens-Gemeinschaft’ (the Germanic Faith Community).
The Anastasia-Bewegung is based on a ten-volume book series entitled 'Anastasia – Die klingenden Zedern Russlands' by author Wladimir Nikolaevič Megre. The protagonist, Anastasia, is said to be the ambassador of an ancient people. She has paranormal abilities that warm people, influence their will and enable her to communicate with animals. In his work, the author combines esoteric, anti-democratic, anti-Semitic, and conspiratorial ideas. The content proved to be compatible with esoteric, ecological and extreme right-wing themes and ideologies, positioning Western democracies and cultures as morally and culturally corrupt. This has resulted in various ideological and personal networks between ethnic-religious and right-wing extremist scenes. The first families probably settled in rural areas around the 2010s. Due to the combination of ecology and esotericism with group-related misanthropic views, the Anastasia Bewegung was classified as suspected extremists by the Federal Ministry of the Interior.
Another example of ethnic settlers is 'Die Artgemeinschaft – Germanische Glaubens-Gemeinschaft', which pursues the goal of an independent life free from the influences of the modern world. Ideologically, it can be identified as neo-pagan, right-wing extremist and anti-Christian. They also focus on the idea of nature and the “concept of race” integrated into it, but expand it to include an esoteric component of perception and spiritual life. The German government banned the group back in 2023. The basis for the decision was its affinity with National Socialism and its rejection of the idea of understanding between peoples.
A need for focused attention
Ethnic settlement efforts can be seen as a dangerous phenomenon for democracy. Although they tend to be reserved in their outward appearance and communication, they deliberately attempt to undermine democratic structures by forming parallel communities. The deliberate separation from other people who are not considered part of the in-group reflects the extreme right-wing ideology of exclusion. By choosing rural areas to settle in, they are capitalising on the phenomenon of general migration away from these areas and attempt to infiltrate existing communities through targeted integration to use them for their own purposes.
As the examples have shown, various groups are already under observation from the state. However, the number of unreported cases, which cannot be determined with certainty due to their clandestine nature, should not be ignored. This underlines the need to focus on the issue of ethnic settlers.
