Elon Musk takes legal action against German broadcaster over Belfast riots claim – POLITICO

X owner Elon Musk has forced German public broadcaster Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (ZDF) to retract a claim that he helped incite anti-migrant violence in Belfast by calling for a “hunt for migrants,” and has accused the channel of spreading “outrageous lies.”

ZDF confirmed to POLITICO on Tuesday that Musk, through a German law firm, sent a cease-and-desist letter over the opening segment of the June 12 edition of its “ZDFheute live” program, titled “Riots in Belfast — How Musk Fueled the Protests.” The broadcaster said it subsequently complied, removed the disputed passage and added a transparency disclaimer stating that the wording had been removed for legal reasons.

“The ZDF confirms that Elon Musk, through a German law firm, demanded a cease-and-desist declaration,” said the broadcaster. “The ZDF complied, submitted the declaration and removed the passage in question from the introduction.”