True Reichsbürger hold the opinion that the German Empire still exists in some form (in reality, it ceased to exist with the end of World War II at the latest). According to the groups, there is some commissioned government which holds most of the powers. The respective group is usually part of that government. These movements first arose in the 1980s. Since about 2013, they are more active. They usually have some militant groups that do not fear to use violence. In 2020, there were over 19,000 people with sympathies for the movements. At least 950 people are militant right-wing activists. There are estimates from 2018, that between 2015 and mid-2017, at least 10,500 crimes were committed by people who identify as "Reichsbürger".