German public broadcaster ZDF removes report intro after Elon Musk legal threat

German public broadcaster ZDF has removed part of a report that alleged Elon Musk called for migrants to be hunted in Northern Ireland, conceding that the wording was "misleading" after Musk said he would take legal action.

The report, which covered recent unrest in Belfast, originally stated: "A brutal attempted murder on a public street in Belfast. Someone takes a video which goes viral. Following that, a racist mob is hunting migrants. The call for that came from a British right-wing extremist and tech billionaire Elon Musk." Tommy Robinson, a well-known British far-right activist, had shared protest plans on Musk's social media platform X on 9 June.

Musk reacted after the broadcast was highlighted by German journalist Julian Reichelt, saying "legal action is being taken against ZDF for their outrageous lies." On Tuesday, ZDF told the BBC that Musk demanded a "cease and desist" declaration through a German law firm. ZDF issued the declaration, removed the passage, and had already added a corrective transparency notice on Saturday.

A ZDF spokesperson said the broadcaster acknowledged the wording was "imprecise and therefore misleading." The ZDF statement added: "Tommy Robinson called for protests after the knife attack in Belfast. The post was shared by Elon Musk."

Musk, who owns Tesla and SpaceX and has more than 240 million followers on X, has faced previous accusations of using his platform to inflame tensions. UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer recently accused him of trying to "whip up division." After the Belfast attack, Musk denied that social media fueled tensions, writing that "migrants carrying out the murder of innocent people" was what angered people.

The US-based Centre for Countering Digital Hate recently said social media played a "significant role" in fuelling violence in Belfast and alleged Musk amplified anti-migrant narratives.