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

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.”

Musk’s lawyer Joachim Steinhöfel labeled the outcome a clear victory.

“The libelous defamation of Mr. Musk by ZDF was journalistically completely unjustifiable,” Steinhöfel told POLITICO. “Thus, I am pleased by our successful enforcement of the cease-and-desist undertaking.”

The legal battle focuses on the anti-immigrant riots that shook Northern Ireland last week. Belfast endured several nights of violence, with mobs attacking property linked to migrant communities, leaving police scrambling to contain the unrest.

As tensions escalated, British far-right activist Tommy Robinson and founder of the far-right Restore UK party Rupert Lowe promoted the protests online. Musk amplified their posts on X, then on June 9 wrote: “Only by protesting REPEATEDLY and LOUDLY will there be any change!!”

Three days later, a ZDF presenter opened a segment on the riots with an allegation: “A racist mob went on a hunt for migrants. This was called for by a British right-wing extremist and tech millionaire Elon Musk.”

Musk fired back almost immediately. “Legal action is being taken against ZDF for their outrageous lies,” he posted on X.