The leader of Germany’s largest anti-lockdown movement, “Querdenken-711”, asked supporters to stop protesting until spring.
Michael Ballweg’s announcement came after German media reported that he split profits from Querdenken merchandise and directed donations to the movement in his personal bank account.
Ballweg never registered the group as an association, company or foundation and is exempt from issuing invoices for donations.
The Querdenken 711 gained international media attention after organizing some of Europe’s biggest anti-lockdown protests, which some experts believe have been infiltrated by far-right extremists.
Ballweg’s slogan for the group is: “Where we go one, we all go”, taken directly from the QAnon conspiracy theory.
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The leader of Germany’s anti-lockdown movement urged supporters to pause their protests until spring. The decision coincides with press reports that question the group’s finances.
Michael Ballweg, the founder of the so-called Querdenken-711 or “afterthought” group, said in a Telegram video message over the Christmas period that “it will stop the large-scale Querdenken protests indefinitely”, adding that he recommends the group’s affiliates do the same, according to Der Spiegel.
The 46-year-old software entrepreneur from Stuttgart did not give a precise reason as to why the group was taking a break.
The announcement came several days after the German media separately reported that Ballweg was profiting from Querdenken’s merchandise, charging people for appearances with him and asking his supporters to donate to what was said to be the movement’s bank account, although it was your.
‘Where we go one, we all go’
In the past few months, Querdenken-711 has been behind a series of large-scale demonstrations against COVID-19 restrictions in Germany. At one point, protesters tried to invade the Reichstag – the country’s parliament in Berlin.
A protester wrapped in a German empire flag faces riot police in front of the Reichstag building after protesters tried to attack him on August 29, 2020 in Berlin, Germany.
John MacDougall / AFP via Getty Images
The group was placed on the watch list of domestic intelligence agencies earlier this month, after experts feared it was being infiltrated by extremists and far-right radicals, including neo-Nazis.
One of Ballweg’s slogans for the group is: “Where are we going, we’re all going”, a phrase taken directly from the QAnon conspiracy theory.
In interviews, Ballweg refused to condemn racism and fascism, describing Querdenken as a “democratic movement” without leadership “open to anyone”, according to German broadcaster RBB.
‘Money goes to Stuttgart’
Despite his earlier comments, a recent investigation by Netzpolitik and ZDF Magazin Royale found that Ballweg has been very much at the center of the movement.
According to the report, Ballweg receives 6 to 12% of each sale of goods on the movement’s official website. The most expensive item on the site is a “Querdenken” jacket that sells for € 69.90 (about $ 80).
When a local branch of the movement was asked whether it received any part of the site’s revenue, a woman said, “We didn’t get anything from it. The money goes to Stuttgart. We should do it,” according to Netzpolitik and ZDF. Other local groups have reported similar things.
Ballweg also asked his supporters to donate to the movement, but the bank account linked to the website is personal.
According to German tax laws, people can accept private financial gifts that do not exceed € 19,999 ($ 24,448) in 10 years. Ballweg never registered the group as an association, company or foundation and was therefore exempt from issuing invoices.
A Querdenken protest in Düsseldorf, Germany, on November 15, 2020.
Ying Tang / NurPhoto via Getty Images
Ballweg also demanded that people show up on stage with him. That was the case for German television producer Thomas Hornauer, who reportedly paid the Querdenken founder up to € 20,000 ($ 24,449) to make several appearances with him at rallies, the investigation concluded.
“In Germany, it is necessary to spend a lot of money to bring together thousands of people,” Hornauer told Netzpolitik and ZDF.
The two men also signed a contract that gives Hornauer the rights to use images and sound recordings by Ballweg and “Querdenken-711”.
Insider contacted Ballweg for comment, but received no response in time for publication.
What is “Querdenken-711”?
Ballweg founded the group “Querdenken 711” in mid-2020 as a response to Germany’s first blockade amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Its name can be translated as “think outside the box”, while the number 711 represents the telephone area code of Stuttgart, Ballweg’s home city.
The movement even received American support after Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a prominent antivaxxer and nephew of former President John F. Kennedy, spoke alongside Ballweg at one of his biggest rallies in Berlin in August.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (C), greets people during an anti-lockdown protest in Berlin, Germany, while Michael Ballweg (L), founder of the Querdenker movement, observes on August 29, 2020.
Sean Gallup / Getty Images
Earlier this week, German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced that the country would extend its national blockade, which has been in place since early December, for another month.
Like other European countries, Germany saw an increase in coronavirus cases and deaths during the current winter period.
According to a Johns Hopkins University tracker, the country has reported more than 1.9 million cases of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic and just over 40,000 deaths.
