German public broadcaster Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen retracted an inflammatory claim about trillionaire Elon Musk and the Belfast riots after he threatened legal action.On a June 12 program of ZDFheute Live, an episode titled “Riots in Belfast — How Musk Fueled the Protests” claimed Musk directly called for a mob to hunt down migrants. After being brought to his attention, Musk’s lawyers sent a cease-and-desist letter to ZDF, saying it had aired “outrageous lies.” The outlet complied, removed the targeted passage, and said in subsequent disclaimers that the wording was removed for legal reasons.“The ZDF confirms that Elon Musk, through a German law firm, demanded a cease-and-desist declaration,” the broadcaster told Politico. “The ZDF complied, submitted the declaration and removed the passage in question from the introduction.”
Musk’s lawyer, Joachim Steinhöfel, said he was satisfied with the response.
“The libelous defamation of Mr. Musk by ZDF was journalistically completely unjustifiable,” Steinhöfel told the outlet. “Thus, I am pleased by our successful enforcement of the cease-and-desist undertaking.”
The disputed passage was the intro to the program, which claimed the Belfast riots, which shook the city after a Sudanese immigrant attempted to behead a local, were instigated by Musk.
