Elon Musk Sues German Broadcaster ZDF After Belfast Hunt For Migrants Intro

Elon Musk announced legal action against German public broadcaster ZDF after a June 12 broadcast of ZDFheute Live included an introduction saying a racist mob was hunting migrants and that the call came from a British right-wing extremist and tech billionaire Elon Musk.

“- Published German public broadcaster ZDF has removed part of a report that claimed tech trillionaire Elon Musk had called for migrants to be hunted in Northern Ireland”

BBC

The BBC reported that ZDF removed the criticized passage after Musk demanded a "cease and desist" declaration, and a spokesperson said, "ZDF issued the declaration and removed the passage in question from the introduction."

BBC

In the BBC account, the unrest in Belfast followed a brutal knife attack in the north of the city, and police arrested a Sudanese man at the scene in north Belfast before he was later remanded in custody on a charge of attempted murder.

The BBC also tied the wording to a clip shared on X by right-wing journalist Julian Reichelt, who runs NiUS, and it said Robinson had shared protest plans on Musk's social media platform X on 9 June.

Musk rejected the characterization and told the BBC, "legal action is being taken against ZDF for their outrageous lies" as ZDF acknowledged its wording was "misleading."

The dispute traces to Musk’s reposting of content during the Belfast riots, where the BBC said Robinson shared protest plans on Musk's social media platform X on 9 June and claimed, "the whole of the United Kingdom is hitting the streets tonight at 7pm following yet another invader attack on our people".

Musk quoted the post and added, "Only by protesting REPEATEDLY and LOUDLY will there be any change!!" while the BBC described ZDF’s now-removed introduction as saying, "Someone takes a video which goes viral. Following that, a racist mob is hunting migrants."

blue News

ProtoThema English reported that the program examined how social media influenced violence after authorities charged a Sudanese illegal immigrant with attempted murder of a local resident in Belfast, and it said presenters and guests analyzed the role played by online personalities including Elon Musk and British activist Tommy Robinson.

ProtoThema English said Musk rejected the characterization, calling it a defamatory lie on his social media platform X and announcing that his legal team had been instructed to take legal action against ZDF.

The BBC further reported that ZDF had issued a clarification saying the wording was "imprecise and therefore misleading" and that it added a corrective transparency notice to the broadcast on Saturday.

The BBC framed the ZDF dispute as part of a broader international attention on migration in Germany, and it said the disorder in Northern Ireland attracted widespread international attention, including in Germany.

“Elon Musk, the world's first trillionaire, has announced legal action against German public broadcaster ZDF for a report that he said misrepresented his position”

DW

It also reported that Musk faced prior accusations of using his vast reach on social media to inflame tensions or spread disinformation, and it cited a US-based Centre for Countering Digital Hate claim that social media had played a "significant role" in fuelling violence in Belfast.

ProtoThema English said the lawsuit is expected to draw significant attention in Germany, where public broadcasters are under growing pressure over concerns of political bias and editorial censorship, and it described the case as a boundary test between legitimate journalistic interpretation and criminal defamation.

ProtoThema English added that ZDF acknowledged the presenter’s wording may have been inaccurate and open to misinterpretation, while the broadcaster stood by its broader coverage examining how prominent online figures amplified narratives surrounding the riots.

In the BBC’s account, ZDF’s spokesperson said, "ZDF had already added a corrective transparency notice to the broadcast on Saturday," after the presenter introduced the now-removed segment titled "How Musk is fuelling the protests" on Friday 12 June.