About raids, summonses and arrests in Munich and Salzburg in February 2025

(Translated from de.indymedia, April 17, 2025)

What happened?

On February 26, 2025, in and around Munich and in the Salzburg region, four homes, meeting places and storage facilities were raided by the cops on the orders of the Munich Public Prosecutor’s Office. In the days that followed, further raids were carried out. As far as we know at present, these operations targeted four defendants and witnesses in three different proceedings for encouragement/approval of criminal acts, for forming a criminal organization and for the initial suspicion of participation in incendiary attacks (See : About the repressive operation in Germany and Austria. Solidarity with the arrested anarchists). During the searches, various computers, printers, storage media, telephones and magazines were seized.

Two of the four defendants were remanded in custody on the grounds that they had no home address. According to press reports, the charges are not sufficient to warrant the arrest of the other two defendants. In addition, witnesses have been summoned by the Munich public prosecutor’s office. It is not yet possible for us to assess which investigation procedures are involved in these summonses, what cross-referencing the cops are doing between which investigations, and whether they have any significant findings at all.

The people concerned and their supporters must now face up to the incarceration, prepare for the interrogations to come, and the trials that are likely to follow, as well as organize support for those in prison. We send them greetings of solidarity and strength for the times ahead.

What are the proceedings based on?

The proceedings are rather complicated. We’d like to try and describe them briefly here, although for the moment we can only do so on the basis of posts on indymedia and newspaper articles. For a better understanding, it may help to first summarize what came before these operations: for several years and with great regularity, vehicles, construction machinery, trains, construction equipment, buildings, cable shafts and cell towers have been burning in and around Munich. All this has resulted in material damage now running into the tens of millions. Most of these actions were not accompanied by a claim, but some were. According to the local press, the cops have been unable to find any exploitable trace to identify the perpetrators of any of the actions. They only assume that the fires are not the result of random self-combustion and have something to do with “critical infrastructures” in the broadest sense of the term. In January 2025, 23 vans belonging to Munich’s canine police brigade burned down in an unguarded parking lot. The damage amounted to over two million euros. That’s our brief summary of the situation.

For some years now, the “Ermittlungsgruppe Raute” investigative group of the cops has been trying in vain to solve these cases. As we understand it, in addition to the “initial suspicion of involvement in six arson attacks”, there is a further investigation into “encouragement/approval of criminal acts”. This is based on a brochure entitled “incendiary leaflet against the wind farm” which was allegedly put into circulation at the end of 2024 in connection with the project to install dozens of wind turbines for the ‘Wacker’ chemical consortium. The cops attribute it to four defendants. Two of them are also accused of being part of a criminal organization, in addition to participating in the brochure. The local Munich press has reported that this alludes to another somewhat dusty investigation dating back to 2022 against the “Zündlumpen” newspaper. It appeared regularly between 2019 and 2021 in Munich, commenting from an anarchist perspective on what was happening in the city and the country. The proceedings against Zündlumpen are curious, to say the least, and merit careful examination in their own right, but are beyond our scope here (see: Cops and robbers? A history of investigative techniques). In our opinion, in addition to criminalizing the newspaper as such, this proceeding has above all served to attack anarchist structures in Munich, leading to extensive raids and the closure of the “Frevel” anarchist library.

The aim of taking this proceeding out of its box now may be to put the anti-wind turbine leaflet into a wider, and therefore more threatening, context, and to dress up the request for preventive detention. In fact, the cops have no proof that any of the accused actually took part in any incendiary attack whatsoever. An article in the Welt am Sonntag in mid-March 2025 refers to around 50 incendiary attacks, while at the same time attempting to establish a link between the Munich investigations and other national proceedings. Specifically mentioned are the attacks by the so-called Volcan groups, including the electricity pylon set on fire near the Brandenburg factory in 2024. On the other hand, a possible link is made with the “Switch-off Campaign”. The same article also mentions that there could be content and structural links between offensive actions in Munich and Berlin, and that investigations are apparently underway in this regard. It does not say by whom these investigations would be carried out. However, we can assume that the BKA is in charge.

How do we interpret this operation?

1st interpretation: The cops must have been reacting to the growing pressure of press reports, and wanted revenge for the arsoned police cars. The timing of the raids in particular supports this interpretation. Over the past few months, the local media have clearly stepped up the pressure on the investigators regarding the arson attacks in Munich. If what the various local newspaper articles claim is true, so far the cops have hardly any usable traces and not the slightest hint of a clue. This is also reflected in the delirious speculation in the press about who might be destroying forestry machinery, telecoms antennas and fibre-optic cables, and why. In all the articles, the cops literally come across as idiots: unable to prevent the fires, unable to say who’s doing it and why, whether it’s always the same people or whether the actions even have anything to do with each other. It’s not hard to imagine the atmosphere in Munich’s central police station or at the Ministry of the Interior after the attack on the 23 unattended cop cars just before the NATO security conference. Whether it’s revenge or “PR work”, in any case the temporal link between the raids and the arsoned cop cars is more than obvious. The cops wanted to send the message: we’ve got everything under control, we’ve investigated, we’ve got defendants, we’ve carried out raids and arrests, blah, blah, blah. And the press picks up on all this bullshit and prints it. The result is that reality is now upside down. The headlines give the impression that the attack on the police cars was solved just three weeks later, that a great deal of evidence was seized during the raids, and that the alleged perpetrators, who were also responsible for many other attacks in the “mysterious series of arsons”, have been arrested.

2nd interpretation: The cops mainly want to gather information about structures and evidence of concrete involvement in individual actions, to create uncertainty and intimidate. Of course, this is always the case. What’s rather interesting here is the way in which the raids were carried out. To go in the direction of intimidation, it’s notable that at least one of the raids was carried out with a gigantic apparatus of around 70 cops in balaclavas and automatic weapons in hand. Several objects were broken into and searched in the absence of the people concerned. Sniffer dogs, metal detectors and searchlights were used. The press reports that at least 140 cops were involved in all the raids. The criteria for deciding who should be placed under witness status, and the way in which the cops dealt with these people, indicate that the main focus for the moment could be on investigating structures. No distinction was made between defendants and witnesses when it came to searches and seizures. The summonses for questioning come directly from the Public Prosecutor’s Office, which means that failure to attend can result in arrest warrants, and refusal to answer questions can lead to fines or administrative detention (Beugehaft). It cannot be ruled out that, in the wake of further investigations, witnesses will be charged. But we’re assuming that the cops will now be keeping a very close eye on who is meeting whom, how those involved are coping with the situation, and who is still showing solidarity. Prior to the raids, and also as part of the investigations into the arson attacks that have been underway for some time now, there has been extensive surveillance and repeated bugging. We assume that these measures will not be discontinued now, but rather expanded. We should therefore also expect that people who have not yet been affected could be included in the proceedings.

3rd interpretation: The raids and proceedings could be part of a wider offensive against subversive actions and structures far beyond Munich. This interpretation is based on the aforementioned article in the Welt am Sonntag, which alludes to possible supra-regional links. We don’t know whether this article emanates solely from the authors’ wild imagination, or whether it was fuelled by off-the-record discussions with the BKA and/or intelligence services. But it is striking that recently the Welt am Sonntag has also been “investigating” in other contexts. Over the past year it has focused both on alleged structural backgrounds to the “Switch-off campaign” and on providing an “analysis” of the actions and supposed organizational structures of the so-called Volcan groups at national level, following the attack on Tesla in March 2024. In our view, it is unlikely that these articles would have been written and published without voluntary indications from the investigating authorities (“In the crosshairs of eco-extremists”, Die Welt, May 27, 2024). In addition, at the same time, a “risk analysis” appeared in the Frankfurter Allgemeinen Zeitung, describing above all an allegedly growing readiness to employ violence among the radical left, rehashing in a warmed-over way the narrative of a climate RAF, while mixing it with proceedings against radical antifascists (“How dangerous are German left-wing extremists?”, FAZ March 14, 2024). In this case, as in the previous one, we assume that the articles were published in the political interest and with the approval of the federal repressive structures. For decades, both newspapers have served as mouthpieces for the Federal Prosecutor’s Office and the Office for the Protection of the Constitution (Verfassungsschutzbericht).

Conclusion: the cops’ offensive is a reaction both to the large number of unsolved arson attacks in Munich in recent years, and to publications such as Zündlumpen and the brochure against the wind farm. We also understand the investigation proceedings as an attack on anarchist, rebellious, antagonistic and subversive structures in general. We’ll have to wait and see what criminal legal constructions will be used against the accused. It remains to be seen how the cops will proceed: how the summoning of witnesses the detention hearings will proceed, whether additional searches or an extension of the circle of people concerned will take place, whether this will lead to charges and trials and which of the numerous accusations will be brought to court at all. None of this is in our hands. For the moment, what’s important for us is to collectively repel the cops’ attempt to threaten and intimidate certain people. It would be nice if we could also succeed in responding to the attack politically and practically in such a way that the cops look even more stupid than they did after the attack on their fucking cars.

How can we respond to this attack?

For the time being, the first thing to do is to provide direct support to those incarcerated. They will probably welcome mail, solidarity actions and fireworks, and the other defendants and witnesses can certainly use support too. The upcoming trials will cost a lot of money and time. See below for practical information on how you can help. We’d also like to add two points that we think are important: on the one hand, we should think about how we can protect ourselves and organize against (potentially further) repression by the Public Prosecutor’s Office and the cops. On the other hand, and considering that this offensive is aimed not only at those currently charged, but also fundamentally at antagonistic practices and ways of organizing, we’d like to share with you our thoughts on a subversive praxis in the current political situation. You may disagree, or you may see similarities to your own reflections.

On how to deal with new repression

We assume that the repressive authorities are hoping to obtain clues about the unsolved incendiary attacks, but that for the time being they are mainly seeking to understand the links and ways in which activist and offensive contexts operate. This means that the raids that have already taken place are potentially not going to be enough for them. We need to anticipate that there may be further surveillance, tailing, raids and arrests, including in other cities and regions. So make sure you clean up your home, your storage equipment, cellars and garages, use tails and TOR when surfing or communicating on the internet, sometimes leave your phones at home, and talk to your friends about how you can basically protect yourself from surveillance. And don’t speculate on what people may or may not have done. The cops will use whatever they can get their hands on to get a clearer picture and threaten you and others, or drag you into court. The cops are surely hoping that the raids and investigations will enable them to intimidate not just the people involved, but all of us too. In recent years, cops and public prosecutors have been very generous in handing out criminal organization charges (§129). In Munich, it’s not just newspapers like the Zündlumpen that are targeted. For example, the Munich public prosecutor’s office is currently conducting proceedings under §129 against the “Last Generation” group, even though its actions are not aimed at abolishing capitalism, but at introducing speed limits on the freeway. So: talk to your friends about how to deal with fears and insecurities. Never let any raid, summons to testify, or arrest lead you to make any statement, and don’t sign anything. Think about how you can support each other if the cops arrest some of you.

On our relationship with offensive practices and sabotage

We see incendiary attacks, with or without claims, as examples of offensive self-defense against the capitalist system of violence and destruction. Apparently the cops and prosecutors see it the same way, even if they call it something else. By subversive practices, we mean more than incendiary attacks on infrastructures, attacks on Nazis and their structures. For us, subversive practice means anything that attacks social relations independently of the limitations of the penal code and with the aim of transforming them in an emancipatory direction. This includes wild demonstrations, flashmobs, newspapers, leaflets and tags, as well as riots, blockades and occupations.  It can also be actions such as adbusting or targeted defacement. Subversive practices can be rather symbolic or cause major material damage. It may be politically asserted through public statements, or it may refuse to provide explanations. Practical solidarity with people facing state repression is also an indispensable component of subversive practice. In our view, it is the way in which we assess the social situation as a whole that gives offensive practice its “legitimacy”. There’s a lot more to be said about this, but we’d like to confine ourselves here to a few guidelines, which make no claim to a broad political analysis:

    War mobilization, militarization and new imperialism

The first thing the CDU and SPD have agreed on, as the likely new coalition government with the support of the Greens, is a gigantic rearmament operation. The rearmament of the federal army goes hand in hand with debates on the reintroduction of military service and the development of new European atomic weapons. Imperialist expansion and control of its “own” territory and zones of influence by military force and war are not the exclusive privilege of Russian imperialism. It is currently being waged by the Turkish, Iranian and Israeli governments in Rojava and Syria, in Yemen and Iraq, on the Golan Heights, in the Gaza Strip and on the West Bank. The US government is threatening to annex Greenland and the Panama Canal, while the Chinese government is threatening to annex Taiwan. Traditional political and military alliances are in upheaval. And it is as naive as it is absurd to hope that massive rearmament on all sides will now prevent wars. Nowhere is there greater political resistance to the politics of war, yet it is all the more necessary. War needs infrastructure, armaments and arms supplies. It is always right to attack and destroy all these.

The destruction of climate and nature

Here, too, we can start with the program of the next CDU/SPD government [which took office on May 6]. Huge investments in “infrastructure” are intended to increase war-fighting capacity and economic growth. A consistent fight against climatic and environmental devastation would mean breaking with the growth and profit principle of capitalist production. This is, of course, too much to ask, even for the Greens. For the moment, a “civil society” climate movement isn’t capable of imposing “system change” on this issue either. On the other hand, sabotaging the supply chains of overproduction can at least put grains of sand in the gears of nature’s destruction, and at least somewhat slow the tempo of widespread global devastation.

Escape, migration

Do we really need to argue why sabotaging the murderous and ever-worsening German and European border regime is necessary and justified? Perhaps in the not-too-distant future, European governments will be passing off their border murders under the guise of protecting human rights. In any case, we can already foresee that in the near future, it won’t just be incendiary attacks on police cars that will be considered attacks against the state and prosecuted accordingly, but also civil rescue at sea or resistance against prepaid cards.

Authoritarian, patriarchal, racist, fascist and jihadist mobilizations

AfD [far-right party] membership is on the rise in Germany, as is street violence against people identified as “foreigners”. Bourgeois parties drop the masks and make pacts with fascists in the struggle for administrative power to impose their plans for devastation. Practical anti-fascism is massively criminalized. Fascists are lining up at the gates of power all over Europe. In the USA and Russia, fascists are in government and control the army, police and secret services. The delusion of a worldwide social dystopia is further fueled by the Chinese model of an authoritarian, racist surveillance state and various caliphates of authoritarian jihadist soldiers of God, whatever their denomination. They all stir up and instrumentalize hatred against others using constructs such as religion, nation, culture, way of life or living space. Everywhere, far-right and fascist terror goes hand in hand with a resurgence of patriarchal rhetoric and massive violence against women, queer people and children, who are humiliated, chased, raped and murdered on a daily basis. Resistance against this, meanwhile, is labeled “leftist woke cancel-culture”. The list could go on ad infinitum, and each of these aspects would be sufficient in itself to react with self-defense and sabotage. There’s no reason to wait for all this to get worse. It doesn’t look as if any great emancipatory mass movements capable of overturning the established relations of violence are about to develop in Germany, Europe or anywhere else in the world. In this situation, and until everything changes radically, the offensive is not just one of many possibilities for action, but also a question of self-respect. Subversive practices are much more than a valve for our hatred of a social system based on submission, contempt and the widespread destruction of the foundations of existence. And it often happens that, in addition to their symbolic value and material damage, offensive actions also have very direct practical consequences. In one of the many attacks in Munich, a 5G antenna was set on fire, and reception in the area is still disrupted to this day. Another attack hit a gravel plant, leading to the company’s withdrawal from a new gravel pit project. The attack on the electricity pylon next to the Tesla factory in Brandenburg caused a loss of production for weeks, while giving a huge boost to the mobilization against Tesla. Forest occupations, power plant blockades and the struggle around Lützerath cost the cops and big business effort and cash. Many people have mobilized, and all the beginnings of self-organization remain necessary steps and experiences on the road to a world free of domination, exploitation and oppression. Whatever the case, there are always more than enough good reasons and conceptual and practical starting points for subversive praxis – you just have to look for what interests or pleases you most. Get organized, stay unpredictable – and who knows, maybe you’ll inspire others…

Love and strength to all subversives, inside and outside the walls!

Autonomous group “Flaute für Raute”

Practical solidarity info If you’d like to write to the two comrades in prison, contact solidaritaet-mit-n-und-m@riseup.net and we’ll send you their address.

Further information and links (see various articles in the local press). Pages for browsing and inspiration  German language : https://switchoff.noblogs.org / https://chronik.blackblogs.org/

Translated by Act for freedom now!
via: https://sansnom.noblogs.org/archives/26026

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Actforfree notes: some more info in English  here: