Sealand

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sealand from the Air (1999)
Sealands flag
Sealands Coat of Arms

The Principality of Sealand [ ˈsiːlænd ] ( English Principality of Sealand ) is a " micronation " on the former British Maunsell sea fortress HM Fort Roughs, almost ten kilometers off the coast of Suffolk .

The fortress was proclaimed as a new and independent state on September 2, 1967 by Paddy Roy Bates , an ex- major in the British Army , after he had immediately occupied the platform abandoned by the military. His original plans to operate a pirate station there outside the reach of British authorities , he no longer realized. Nevertheless, until his death in 2012, with the help of relatives and friends of the family, he defended the station both legally and by force of arms and called on the international community to recognize Sealand as a legitimate and sovereign state under international law .

Despite a high level of awareness, especially as a frequently chosen case study in discussions on international law, recognition has been refused internationally. There have been court rulings from Germany and the United States , according to which Sealand does not meet the requirements for a state and therefore does not exist as a subject under international law . Critics also point out that the platform is in the middle of British territorial waters since they were expanded to a twelve-mile zone in 1987 .

Location and structure

Situation in Europe
Map of Sealand
Sealand before 2002

Sealand is in the North Sea, about 10 km off the coast of Suffolk , England .

Inside the two hollow concrete pillars on which the steel platform rests, there are seven floors each. These are divided into eight rooms per column: from the bottom first a former ammunition depot, above a chapel as well as storage and accommodation rooms. The generator rooms are on the top floor. On the platform there is a bathroom, kitchen, further living rooms and a helipad at the top.

The two 40 mm Bofors guns were removed by the Admiralty after the war . The first of the two QF 3.7-inch AA guns was dismantled in 1966, the second not until 2002.

Population or family Bates

Michael Bates (2015)

The population initially consisted of the Bates family and a few friends, but probably never more than ten people. Today only one security guard is permanently on the platform as their representative.

The family returned to mainland England years ago, mainly for health reasons. After the transfer of government responsibility to his son Michael, Paddy Roy Bates also moved to the family home in Leigh-on-Sea , a fishing village in the Southend-on-Sea district, in 1999 . The small row house is now inhabited by Michael Bates, his wife and their three children. Paddy Roy Bates then lived in Spain until his death on October 9, 2012.

history

prehistory

The Roughs Tower station is one of the Maunsell sea forts that the British military built in the Second World War to repel sea and air attacks in the Thames estuary . It was built in dry dock on a buoyant pontoon in late 1941, towed out into the sea and its base sunk onto the Rough Sands sandbank on February 11, 1942, as planned . As HM Fort Roughs she was then in the service of the Royal Navy . After the end of the war, however, this type of fortress lost its importance, so that they were abandoned one after the other in the 1950s. In 1956 the crew of Roughs Tower withdrew completely and left the station to itself.

In the 1960s, the operators of English pirate stations saw the orphaned fortresses as the ideal location for their stations. Assuming there, the law enforcement agencies far the existing broadcasting - monopoly of state BBC to bypass the forts were sometimes even highly competitive. Paddy Roy Bates was only able to set up his pirate station Radio Essex on the fortress Knock John Tower in 1965 after he had driven the operators of the competing station Radio City from there. However, Knock John Tower soon proved to be not remote enough. Shortly before Christmas 1966, the station, which had recently been renamed Britain's Better Music Station (BBMS) , was switched off and Bates was charged with breaking the British Broadcasting Act.

founding

On September 2, 1967, with the help of some followers, he occupied the Roughs Tower platform . This is much further offshore than Knock John Tower and was outside of the British territorial waters at the time  - three nautical miles off the coast - in international waters. Bates proclaimed her the independent Principality of Sealand and appointed himself and his wife, Joan Bates, née Collins, a former Southend Carnival Queen and model , absolute rulers: Prince Roy and Princess Joan of Sealand.

Jack Moore and his daughter had previously occupied the station for the Irish music manager Ronan O'Rahilly , who wanted to use Roughs Tower for his pirate station Radio Caroline . When he heard of Bate's takeover, O'Rahilly immediately dispatched a few men to retake the station. Their boat was driven away by Bates and his people with gasoline bombs and allegedly several rifle shots.

In Great Britain, however, the Marine Broadcasting Offences Act came into force on August 14, 1967 . The broadcast of unlicensed radio broadcasts from ships, aircraft or naval bases from outside the territorial waters was therefore also a criminal offense. Most of the pirate channels then stopped broadcasting. Almost at the same time, the state-run BBC launched its own pop channel, BBC Radio 1, and expanded its program considerably in the early 1970s by founding numerous local stations. Roy Bates lost interest and decided not to set up the planned station.

From 1967 to 1968 the Royal Navy made several attempts to get rid of the occupiers of Roughs Tower . Here, too, the self-appointed prince is said to have fired several shots in the direction of the landing craft. The military then canceled the operation. Apparently they didn't want to take the risk that soldiers would be killed, especially with regard to the public image. Instead, charges were brought against Paddy Roy Bates in an English court over the shooting. However, the local court in Chelmsford ruled in 1968 that it had no jurisdiction because the incident occurred in international waters, i.e. outside of British territory.

For the next 15 years, the British authorities repeatedly asked the occupiers of Sealand to pay taxes, social security contributions, radio license fees, etc. Roy Bates regularly refused to do so, relying on the judge's ruling that Sealand was not part of the UK .

Coup

In 1975 the German Alexander Gottfried Achenbach contacted Sealand. He had the plan, together with several Dutch friends, to transform the sea fortress into a luxury hotel with a casino. Soon he won the trust of Roy Bates and became not only a Sealand citizen but also prime minister and head of government for life. In September, Prince Roy then issued a constitution for the principality in which Sealand, among other things, expressly waived restrictions on gambling.

When Roy and Joan Bates stayed in Salzburg for a few days in August 1978 to meet business people, Achenbach, with the help of his Dutch friends, took command of the station and even held Prince Roy's son Michael in his power for a short time. He declared the prince deposed because he had allegedly negotiated the sale of the state territory to an economic consortium in Salzburg and thus violated the constitution.

Bates then hired several well-armed men, retook the fortress with a helicopter and arrested the coup plotters as prisoners of war on Roughs Tower . As a result, Germany and the Netherlands intervened with the British government. It was supposed to bring about the immediate release of the prisoners. However, the latter refused to provide support, arguing that it was not competent in international waters and referred to the court decision of 1968.

The prince quickly released the Dutch prisoners of war with reference to the Geneva Conventions . However, the leader Alexander Achenbach and the German lawyer Gernot Pütz both had a Sealand passport. As a result, as Sealand nationals, they were found guilty of treason. Achenbach was supposed to be serving a life sentence at Roughs Tower . The German lawyer was sentenced to pay DM 75,000. The Federal Republic of Germany had no other advice than to send a consular officer from the German embassy in London to Sealand for negotiations. Roy Bates saw the establishment of diplomatic contact as de facto recognition of Sealand by the Federal Republic and decided to show mercy. In view of the bloodless course of the revolt and the imprisonment, which had now lasted for several weeks, he finally allowed the two prisoners to return to Germany.

Reactions

Alexander Achenbach continues to accuse the Prince of violating the constitution and has viewed him as a violent occupier of Sealand since 1978 . In the Federal Republic of Germany he therefore established a government in exile and appointed the Dutchman Adrien Oomen as syndic as the new head of state.

Shortly after Sealands was founded, Sunk Head , another Maunsell Sea Fort in what was then international waters, was demolished by the British military. The remaining forts were all within the then three-mile zone.

At the third international conference on the law of the sea (1973–1982), legal state foundations following the example of Sealands were excluded for the future. The nearest neighboring state must take responsibility for artificial structures in the sea. According to the newly adopted convention, in future all structures that are no longer required must be removed immediately after they have been put out of use.

In October 1987, Great Britain extended its territorial waters to a twelve-mile zone . Since then, the Roughs Tower station has been within British territorial waters. However, Sealand has also made a claim to a twelve-mile zone and allegedly defended it with warning shots against the British aid ship RMAS Golden Eye in 1990 when it came too close to the platform.

Fire and renovation

Sealand, about two months after the fire (2006)

Around noon on June 23, 2006, a fire broke out on Sealand. The cause was an electrical defect in the generator room. British fire brigades, alerted by a fisherman, brought the fire under control until shortly after 3 p.m. There was only one security guard on the station, who could be transferred directly from the platform to Ipswich to a hospital by a Royal Air Force helicopter . Apart from the security guard's only slight smoke inhalation, the fire mainly caused considerable property damage. In addition to the burned-out areas, in particular the generator room, almost the entire structure of the superstructure and the north tower were damaged by smoke or the penetrated extinguishing water.

The very next day, the Bates family announced that repairs would begin soon and started a fundraiser on the Sealand website. According to initial estimates, the costs should amount to around one million dollars. After the residents of the platform had cleaned up the platform, the Sealand government granted the English construction company Church and East Ltd. the order to rebuild their country. Accompanied by a BBC film crew, the repairs began on June 29 and were completed in November 2006.

Church and East then set up on the station for a longer period of time. After the fire damage had been repaired, extensive renovation and modernization of the station began. A system of 3 kW wind generators was installed to provide Sealand with electricity as much as possible using wind energy. The progress made was recorded in the form of regular reports and photos on the construction company's website specially set up for this purpose. As of 2008, there has been no evidence of Church and East activities. The websites have been deleted.

Venue and sports nation

The first official Sealand athlete was the Canadian Darren Blackburn, who in January 2003 spontaneously offered the Bureau of Internal Affairs to run future marathons for Sealand. He was then named Athleta Principalitas. Soon after, a slot car team, two mini golfers and an American football player competed for the principality.

Although not actually a Sealand country, a small Danish football team played for the FA Sealand football association in 2004 as a national team 2-2 against a team from Åland . Sealand has been an affiliate member of the NF Board since then .

From November 2008, the station was expanded to become a venue for events and should become a tourist attraction. In the same year, a skateboarding event sponsored by Red Bull was held on Sealand to kick off the event.

In 2009, Sealand announced the revitalization of its soccer team and participation in the Viva World Cup . Scottish writer Neil Forsyth has been named President of the Sealand Football Association . A newly formed team under his leadership lost on May 5, 2012 in Godalming Town against the Chagos Islands. The final score was 3: 1 for the Chagos Islands team . On May 18, 2013 Sealand lost 7-5 in a charity game against an All-Star selection of the London club Fulham FC .

In 2009 and 2010, a Frisbee team on Sealand's behalf competed in several tournaments in the United Kingdom, Ireland and the Netherlands and came 11th in the British National Championships.

As part of the self-chosen challenge “Around the world in 80 races” (German: “Around the world in 80 races”), Simon Messenger completed a half marathon on Sealand in the summer of 2015 . An e-mail request to the government of the Principality was soon followed by an invitation and at the beginning of July an official government express delivery service was available to pick up the athlete, a film team and a treadmill provided by the manufacturer NordicTrack. For safety reasons, Simon Messenger mostly covered the route on the treadmill, except for a few meters to the official finish line at the helicopter platform of the Seefort, where Prince James, the founder's grandson, was waiting for him.

In August 2018, swimmer Richard Royal visited the platform and then swam the 12 km distance from Sealand to the coast of Felixstowe in 3 hours and 29 minutes . The sporting achievement was recognized with a certificate from both the World Open Water Swimming Association (WOWSA) and the British Long Distance Swimming Association (BLDSA) and with a documentary entitled “Escape from Sealand” (German: “Flucht aus Seeland “) Made known. Prince Michael, the reigning regent of Sealand, raised him to the rank of Knight of the Military Order of Sealand as "Sir Richard Mark Royal". As reported by the British local newspaper East Anglian Daily Times, Nick Glendinning had swum from the foot of the platform to Bawdsey just two days earlier , but had not applied for approval from the Sealand government and therefore received no official recognition.

politics

Constitution

With the first constitution of September 1975, Roy Bates transferred the exercise of state authority and ownership of the entire land, including the (then still) three-mile zone, to the Sealand State Corporation and entrusted them with the development of the country. The newly created body of elected senators was to have full authority over the legislative , executive and, above all, all economic activities of Sealand. Furthermore, Sealand was declared a free trade zone and the waiver of tariffs and restrictions on gambling was expressly stipulated.

In 1995, Prince Roy introduced a second constitution with a preamble and seven articles, which replaced the original constitution of 1975. This should once again confirm the independence of the state. As a form of government, it establishes the constitutional monarchy , regulates the succession to the throne by inheritance and, with exceptions for the prince and the Sealand guards, forbids weapons.

In addition, it introduced legislative and judicial structures: according to this, the government consists of the sovereign and head of state, the Senate, the attorney general, the Sealand guard and the office of the head of state. This consists of the three departments Internal Affairs, External Affairs as well as Post, Telecommunications and Technology. The attorney general, as the judiciary, may convene a tribunal in the appropriate circumstances. The final decision remains with the head of state.

Incidentally, the British Common Law should apply to Sealand .

anthem

government

Initially, Paddy Roy Bates (Prince Roy I of Sealand) was head of state and the highest executive. For health reasons, however, in 1999 the prince left his son Michael (Prince Regent Michael of Sealand) to exercise power over Sealand pro tempore by decree .

Government in exile

In Germany, a group belonging to the Reich Citizens' Movement claims control over the Sealand fortress. The group has therefore proclaimed a self-appointed government in exile , which is based in the Westphalian town of Rheda-Wiedenbrück (residence of the main activist Johannes Seiger) and on a former chicken farm in Trebbin , Brandenburg . The Federal Republic of Germany is not regarded as a state by this “government in exile” on the grounds that it was in violation of international law and perished in the course of reunification.

Esoteric, right-wing radical and anti-Semitic content is conveyed on the website of the self-proclaimed government in exile, especially in the area of ​​the Sealand Business Club , which is not generally accessible .

The group operates a “Vrilia Government Commission”, which relates to “World Dynamism”, “Vril Energy as Cosmic Elemental Force” and the “Rebirth of Atlantis” according to a “Reich Working Group 'The Coming Germany'” from 1929. In their opinion, Vril technology could be used in Formula 1 . A 19 cm long “Sealand Vril generator” would have to be installed for this. In February 2015 , the Red Bull Racing team was offered to use three such generators in their Formula 1 racing cars if, in return, it promised that, in the case of the Formula 1 world championship, by using the Vril generators, the Sealand Government-in-exile to pay one million euros. The Sealand activists guaranteed the Red Bull Racing Team 1st to 3rd place in the championship standings for the 2015 racing season when using such generators. In addition, according to the Sealand activists, there are allegedly still in use Reich flying disks , UFO- like aircraft that are said to have been built and tested during the Third Reich . Their construction plans are in the hands of the Sealand Group, and they also know the locations of the flying disks. Several other conspiracy theories are spread on the group's websites.

On the websites of the self-proclaimed government in exile, the Sealand government, in addition to the Dutch syndic Adrien Oomen, also names Johannes Seiger - as Prime Minister ( Prime Minister ) and State Council Chairman - and Josef Baier as Foreign Minister . The self-appointed government in exile and the " Commissary Reich Government " of Wolfgang Ebel see each other as governments.

King Marduk

A German from Tübingen , who as "His Majesty King Marduk" or "HM King Marduk I" has reported several times over the years with territorial claims elsewhere, has counted the Sealand fortress to his kingdom since 2000. When asked in the same year, Michael Bates signaled that any attempt at unauthorized interference in the territory would be answered accordingly. However, the principality has no knowledge of the "Kingdom of Marduk" and is not in negotiations with its regents or other liaisons.

economy

Sealand State Corporation

By the original constitution of 1975, all economic activity of Sealand was initially limited to the activities of the Sealand State Corporation . Their business activities are just as unclear as their continued existence after the introduction of the second constitution of 1995.

Sealand Trade Corporation

The self-appointed government-in-exile under Johannes WF Seiger operates as the Sealand Trade Corporation . Initially from Trebbin , she signed a contract with the Red Army in 1991 on the scrapping and recycling of all goods not returned when they were withdrawn and speculated on land whose ownership had not yet been clarified. In 2001, however, the company had to file for bankruptcy and since then has only litigated tax debts and unpaid social security contributions for the former employees. Seiger denies an obligation to pay with reference to the legal status of Sealand Trade Corporation as a state-owned company of Sealand. In mid-2004, the government-in-exile took over a Swiss stock corporation based in Zurich and renamed it Sealand Trade Corporation Schweiz AG , since April 2019 Sealand Trade Corporation Schweiz AG in liquidation .

HavenCo

In 1999 Michael Bates founded HavenCo Ltd. with entrepreneur and computer security expert Ryan Lackey . Internet servers were then installed on the platform. Between 2000 and 2008 the company Sealand offered as an electronic data port for secure data hosting . Due to discrepancies in the company , Ryan Lackey left the company in 2002 and, according to press reports , announced that the company would not survive long due to technical problems and too few customers. In late 2008, HavenCo ceased operations without giving any reason.

Church and East Ltd.

After the fire in June 2006, the Sealand government granted Church and East Ltd. the order to rebuild their country. However, the company also planned to set up its own business on Sealand: from May 2007, day tours and overnight stays on Sealand were to be offered to tourists, a plan that was no longer realized. As of 2008, there has been no evidence of any continued business activity by Church and East. The company was deleted from the English commercial register on July 7, 2009 (Company No. 05274816).

Sale offer

At the beginning of January 2007, the micronation was offered on the website of the Spanish real estate company Inmobiliaria Naranja . As a basis for negotiations, the real estate agents stated a sum of 750 million euros. However, the offer is no longer up to date. As the British daily newspaper The Times reported, the principality was to be submitted for a bid of at least eight digits. The newspaper quoted Prince Michael of Sealand as saying, “We have owned this island for 40 years and my father is 85 years old. Maybe it's time for a rejuvenation ”. According to the press release on the official website, a foreign investor should be found through sale or long-term leasing . The construction company Church and East Ltd. After consulting the Ministry of the Interior, responded immediately with its own press release, which made it clear that no change in the current legal situation was planned. The HavenCo Ltd. and meanwhile also by Church and East Ltd. Business activities carried out on Sealand were not affected. It is only a matter of using the new possibilities created during the renovation of Sealand for further business settlements.

Law

Paddy Roy Bates declared the sea fortress Roughs Tower , located in international waters, to be a sovereign and independent state by the Principality of Sealand's proclamation on September 2, 1967.

He took the position that Great Britain had given up all claims long before that. The platform has become res derelicta and consequently terra nullius , i.e. no man's land . In order to take possession of the territory that is not claimed by any other state, to found a new nation and to legitimize his claim to rule, he relies on general international law. With the proclamation, he considers all requirements for recognition de jure and de facto fulfilled.

In the judgment of Chelmsford and through the "diplomatic contact" about the release of Alexander Achenbach, he considers Sealand to be de facto recognized by Great Britain and the Federal Republic of Germany. Other states have recognized Sealand by repeatedly accepting Sealand passports as travel documents, stamping them or even providing them with visas.

international law

As a case study, Sealand has been analyzed many times and is discussed again and again in state and international law lectures. There is agreement that before the question of the legality and recognition of the establishment, it must first be clarified whether an artificial platform with only a handful of residents has the necessary requirements and properties for a state. According to the criteria established in the framework of the Montevideo Convention in 1933 , this requires a national territory , a permanent population ( national people ), a separate government ( state authority ) and the possibility of entering into relationships with other states. Apart from the last point, the convention corresponds to the three-element theory , which has been represented in Germany since Georg Jellinek .

For Sealand, these criteria are overwhelmingly negative among constitutional and international lawyers. However, there are also individual reports in which Sealand is viewed as a state and the territory and people of the state are recognized.

There is just as little agreement among jurists as to whether the recognition of a state by other states is constitutive or only declaratory , as is the question of whether the recognition of existence is sufficient or a diplomatic-formal act is necessary.

At the third international conference on the law of the sea (1973–1982), legal state foundations following the example of Sealands were excluded for the future. The next neighboring state must take responsibility for artificial structures in the sea and remove all structures that are no longer required immediately after they are no longer used.

Germany

In 1976, Alexander Achenbach wanted to have it established that he had lost German citizenship by accepting the citizenship of Sealands . However, the competent authority informed him that he was still a German citizen. His lawsuit before the Cologne Administrative Court was unsuccessful. In its ruling, the court found that Sealand was not a state because it had neither a territory nor a people. The court was of the opinion that the artificial platform was not “land area”. This requires a piece of “ground”. Since the platform is only connected to the ground by concrete pillars, it is not even part of the earth's surface. The members of a state people would have to form a “community of fate ” with the aim of coping with all areas of life together. The so-called nationals of Sealand would, however, mostly reside outside and each pursue their own interests.

The Potsdam Regional Court also ruled that the Principality of Sealand is not subject to international law and that its representatives in Germany do not enjoy diplomatic or consular immunity. He lacks an effective state authority that relates to a state people and to a state territory.

United States

In 1990 a US administrative court ruled that no sovereign nation by the name of Sealand had ever existed, either then or before. A US federal court upheld it on appeal in 1991.

Great Britain

Notwithstanding the Chelmsford court ruling in 1968, Britain continues to consider Roughs Tower to be the property of the Department of Defense . The station is only currently not used.

On October 1, 1987, the Territorial Sea Act of Great Britain extended its territorial waters to a twelve-mile zone around the coast in accordance with Article 3 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea . However, Sealand has also claimed a twelve mile zone.

Passports, mail, currency and ham radio

Sealand Pass

No recognized state grants Sealand personnel sovereignty . Nevertheless, both the government of Prince Roy and the government-in-exile in Germany have for a time sold Sealand passports on a large scale, accusing each other of forging passports. It is said that there was particular demand from Hong Kong Chinese before their reintegration into the People's Republic of China on July 1, 1997. Sealand passports have also been involved in criminal cases on several occasions, such as the murder of the fashion designer Gianni Versace . With a few exceptions - presumably a mistake by individual border guards - these papers are only viewed as fun ID cards . The same applies to all other official documents. If you try to acquire a title with the help of a Sealand Pass, you risk being liable to prosecution in Germany under Section 132a of the German Criminal Code ( misuse of titles, job titles and badges ).

Sealand dollars

From left: Half Dollar, Silver One Dollar, Quarter Dollar

The coins minted as Sealand Dollars from 1972 onwards are said to have parity with the US dollar . Without a functioning and generally accessible economic system on Sealand, however, it is not a real currency . However, since they have a high proportion of valuable metals, they are definitely of value among coin collectors. In the early 1990s, the government in exile also produced a coin with the image of Prime Minister Seiger.

post Office

Sealand stamp pad 1970s

Sealand has been issuing postage stamps since 1969 for use in government office correspondence and used on Sealand. The envelopes franked with it are only officially delivered by the Royal British Post as freight collect at the recipient's expense. However, there are some letters whose Sealand postage stamps were canceled again by the British Royal Mail and which were subsequently delivered as normal. The Belgian Post is also said to have forwarded a few letters without any problems during the period when Bates was running a regular helicopter service between Sealand and Brussels .

Amateur radio

Sealand uses the unofficial ITU prefix S1A as the country code for callsigns in the amateur radio service .

Sealand in literature and media

Sealand appears in one of the storylines in the novel Polyplay by Marcus Hammerschmitt in his capacity as a hosting platform for top-secret and / or legally questionable Internet content. In the novel The Aurora Effect by Rainer Wolf it is mentioned in connection with the HAARP project .

In the web manga Hetalia , Sealand appears as a precocious little boy who “cut himself off” from his big brother England and later sells himself and his platform to the Scandinavian countries on eBay .

In October 2013, the German band Fettes Brot shot the video for their single Echo on the platform.

Sealand is one of the six micronations featured in Paul Poet's documentary Empire Me (2011).

In June 2017, Michael Bates, the founder's son, published a book entitled Principality of Sealand: Holding the Fort , which tells the story of Zealand from his family's perspective.

See also

Web links

Commons : Sealand  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b About The Principality Of Sealand - Our History. In: sealandgov.org (official homepage). Retrieved June 7, 2020 .
  2. ↑ A prince sells his kingdom. ( Memento from October 21, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) In: ZDF heute . Jan. 24, 2007.
  3. ↑ For sale: World's smallest country with sea view. In: Reuters , Jan 8, 2007, accessed June 7, 2020.
  4. ↑ Regina v. Paddy Roy Bates and Michael Roy Bates, The Shire Hall, Chelmsford, October 25, 1968: Excerpt from the judgment text ( memento of March 10, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
  5. ↑ United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea: Article 60 Artificial islands, installations and structures in the exclusive economic zone . In: www.admin.ch (the portal of the Swiss government), accessed on June 6, 2020.
  6. ↑ Green Power Update. ( Memento of March 7, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Sealand special website of Church and East Ltd.
  7. ^ Sealand Renovation Updates. ( Memento of March 8, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Church and East Ltd.
  8. ^ Sealand Redevelopment. ( Memento of April 12, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Church and East Ltd.
  9. ↑ Redbull skateboarding: Red Bull Access All Areas Meets Sealand. ( Memento of January 5, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) October 15, 2008.
  10. ↑ Red Bull Deutschland GmbH: Skateboarders conquer the sea fortress off the English coast. In: lifePR. Retrieved June 7, 2020 .
  11. ↑ Red Bull Skateboarding: Skateboarding the World's Smallest Country: Red Bull All Access (Video 1:02 min). In: YouTube , November 12, 2008, accessed June 7, 2020.
  12. ^ Ralf Little gets an international cap for Sealand. In: BBC . May 7, 2012, Retrieved May 7, 2012 .
  13. ↑ Fulham All Stars 7-5 Sealand All Stars. In: News page of the association. Fulham FC , May 18, 2013, accessed June 7, 2020 .
  14. ↑ a b Simon Messenger: How I ran a half marathon on Sealand, the fortress 'nation' in the middle of the sea . In: The Guardian , September 11, 2015, accessed June 6, 2020.
  15. ↑ Escape from Sealand on YouTube , February 21, 2019, accessed June 7, 2020.
  16. ↑ Dominic Moffitt: Arise Sir Richard: Sealand swimmer knighted . In: East Anglian Daily Times , August 30, 2018, accessed June 6, 2020.
  17. ^ Principality of Sealand. ( Memento from January 20, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Facts page of the first Sealand website
  18. ↑ a b The Prime Minister, far from home. ( Memento from November 12, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) on: brandeins.de , 2001.
  19. ↑ Jan von Flocken: Schrulle: Beware, soldiers of fortune! In: Focus , November 6, 2000, accessed June 6, 2020.
  20. ↑ Principality of Sealand: ruler of a sea fortress. In: Badische Zeitung . May 27, 2009.
  21. ↑ Minister of a sea fortress refuses to pay a fine of 40 francs. In: Tages-Anzeiger . June 25, 2013, accessed June 6, 2020.
  22. ↑ see e.g. For example, the Principality of Sealand's VRIL Technology page ( August 25, 2010 memento on the Internet Archive ) and Vril
  23. ↑ on the right-wing radical status of the “government in exile” see z. B. krr-faq.net or as a primary source z. B. their online “Reichsbrief” principality-of-sealand.eu (PDF; 730 kB), especially the chapter The USA is completely infiltrated by Judaism. (P. 13 ff.) Or comments on the only possible peaceful solution to the Jewish problem. (P. 81 ff.)
  24. ↑ Melanie Hanz: Kingdom of the seven islands . In: Nordwest-Zeitung , December 31, 2013, accessed June 7, 2020.
  25. ↑ Row as 'King Marduk' claims Sealand. In: echo-news.co.uk. January 23, 2009, accessed June 7, 2020 .
  26. ↑ krr-faq.net
  27. ↑ Commercial register entry: Sealand Trade Corporation Schweiz AG in liquidation . In: easymonitoring.ch , accessed on June 6, 2020.
  28. ↑ HavenCo “data center” offline? ( Memento from March 1, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) In: securityandthe.net , November 18, 2008 (English).
  29. ^ Church and East Press Release. Visit Sealand. ( Memento of February 18, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) In: www.churchandeast.co.uk , January 8, 2007 (English)
  30. ↑ Latest News ( Memento of February 10, 2007 in the Internet Archive ). In: www.churchandeast.co.uk .
  31. ↑ World's tiniest country seeks new owners to fly the flag. ( Memento from February 8, 2007 in the web archive archive.today ) In: The Times , January 8, 2007
  32. ↑ Smallest "state" in the world is for sale. ( Memento from November 20, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) On: portal.gmx.net , January 8, 2007.
  33. ↑ Principality Notice PN 033/07: Call for inward investment in the Principality. (No longer available online.) In: www.sealand.gov. January 5, 2007; Archived from the original on January 15, 2013 ; Retrieved January 2, 2013 .
  34. ^ Church and East Press Release Relating to the Recent News of Sealand Being For Sale. ( Memento of November 17, 2013 in the Internet Archive ). In: www.churchandeast.co.uk , January 8, 2007 (English).
  35. ↑ z. B. Legal opinion v. 1975, Dr. Dr. Dr. Walter Leisner, professor at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, head of the Institute for Constitutional and Administrative Law in Erlangen
  36. ↑ United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea: Art. 89 Invalidity of claims to sovereignty over the high seas . In: www.admin.ch (the portal of the Swiss government), accessed on June 6, 2020.
  37. ^ VG Cologne, judgment of May 3, 1978, Az. 9 K 2565/77; printed in DVBl. 1978, p. 510 ff.
  38. ^ LG Potsdam, judgment of February 9, 2006, Az. 27 Ns 214/05.
  39. ^ A Nation for Friend and Faux. In: Los Angeles Times. June 7, 2000 (see section "Puzzling Passports", p. 2)
  40. ↑ AMATEUR RADIO PREFIXES . In: QSL.net , accessed June 7, 2020.
  41. ↑ Willy Iffland: Video premiere: Fettes Brot - Echo. In: Dressed Like Machines. October 3, 2013, accessed October 4, 2013 .
  42. ↑ Fettes Brot : Making of “Echo” Video (Official). In: YouTube . October 17, 2013, accessed July 6, 2015 .
  43. ↑ Film "Empire me" - We are utopia. In: time online . January 19, 2012, accessed October 29, 2015.
  44. ^ Michael Bates, Principality of Sealand: Holding the Fort . Principality of Sealand, 2015, ISBN 978-0-9933200-0-2 , pp. 311 .
This version was added to the list of articles worth reading on October 27, 2006 .

Coordinates: 51 ° 53 ′ 40 ″  N , 1 ° 28 ′ 57 ″  E