German Broadcaster Removes Elon Musk Accusation After Legal Action Over Belfast Migrant Report

German public broadcaster ZDF has removed a segment from a news report after tech billionaire Elon Musk initiated legal action, contending the broadcaster falsely claimed he called for migrants to be hunted in Northern Ireland.

ZDF conceded its original wording was "misleading". Musk publicly stated, "legal action is being taken against ZDF for their outrageous lies."

The controversy stems from a 12 June broadcast of ZDFheute Live, which featured a segment titled "How Musk is fuelling the protests." The now-removed introduction by a presenter linked a "brutal attempted murder on a public street in Belfast" to a "racist mob hunting migrants," asserting that "The call for that came from a British right-wing extremist and tech billionaire Elon Musk."

This statement followed far-right activist Tommy Robinson's post on Musk's platform X on 9 June, urging protests across the UK. Musk subsequently quoted Robinson's post, adding, "Only by protesting REPEATEDLY and LOUDLY will there be any change!!"

ZDF issued a "cease and desist" declaration through a German law firm, removing the contentious passage and adding a corrective notice. The broadcaster later clarified that "Tommy Robinson called for protests after the knife attack in Belfast. The post was shared by Elon Musk."

Musk has consistently rejected accusations that social media amplifies tensions, asserting that "murderous migrants" are the true source of public anger. Conversely, the US-based Centre for Countering Digital Hate claims social media played a "significant role" in the Belfast unrest, alleging Musk's platform amplified anti-migrant narratives.