Tech billionaire Elon Musk is taking legal action against a German report on his role in the recent riots in Belfast, his lawyer told dpa on Tuesday.
Lawyer Joachim Steinhöfel confirmed a report by German daily Die Welt that he has issued a formal warning to German public broadcaster ZDF on behalf of his client over a June 12 news report on the riots in Belfast. He has also asked the broadcaster to sign a cease-and-desist declaration, Steinhöfel said.
Several days of violent unrest unfolded in Belfast following a stabbing attack in the Northern Irish capital on June 8 in which the victim lost an eye. The suspected attacker, a Sudanese national, has been charged with attempted murder.
In the wake of the attack, far-right British activist Tommy Robinson had called for people to take to the streets in Belfast, in a post that was shared by Musk.
In the introduction to the ZDF report, the news anchor states that "a racist mob is hunting down migrants" in response to a viral video of the attack.
"This was instigated by a British far-right extremist and tech billionaire Elon Musk," she says.
ZDF has since added a disclaimer below the clip, acknowledging that the statement is "imprecise and therefore misleading."
"Tommy Robinson called for protests following the knife attack in Belfast. The post was shared by Elon Musk," it reads.
