Musk threatens to sue German broadcaster ZDF over Belfast riots claim

Elon Musk has said he will pursue legal action against German public broadcaster ZDF, accusing it of falsely suggesting he encouraged rioters in Northern Ireland to target migrants.

The dispute centres on a June 12 episode of a ZDF news programme examining the role of social media in unrest in Northern Ireland. A presenter said a "racist mob" had gone hunting for migrants and suggested such actions had been encouraged by British activist Tommy Robinson and Musk.

The unrest had followed a violent attack in Northern Ireland, after which Robinson called for protests. Musk had shared one of Robinson's posts on X, adding that "only through repeated and loud protests will anything change" — but critics, including some German journalists, said ZDF had attributed to Musk a statement he never made.

Musk responded that "legal action is being taken against ZDF for their outrageous lies," and his lawyer sent a cease-and-desist letter describing the broadcast as a defamatory and slanderous allegation.

ZDF later acknowledged the wording in the segment had been flawed, with a spokesperson saying the presenter's summary was "imprecise and therefore misleading." The episode has fed a wider debate in Germany over media accountability and the influence of social-media figures on real-world unrest.