Elon Musk Takes Legal Action Against ZDF Over “Migrant Hunt” Lie
Elon Musk has initiated legal action against German state broadcaster ZDF for falsely accusing him of calling for a "hunt for migrants" during Northern Ireland unrest.
The SpaceX and X owner declared on his social media platform Monday evening that legal proceedings have been initiated against ZDF over what he termed their outrageous lies. The move comes after the German television station attributed xenophobic calls to violence to Musk without any supporting evidence, according to Nius.
The controversy stems from an edition of the ZDF program “ZDF heute live,” in which the broadcaster claimed Musk had publicly called for a “hunt for migrants” in response to protests and riots in Northern Ireland. The show’s moderator opened the 30-minute broadcast by stating that a brutal murder attempt on the streets of Belfast had been filmed and gone viral, after which a racist mob allegedly hunted migrants following calls from a British far-right extremist and tech billionaire Elon Musk.
When Nius contacted ZDF requesting evidence for this serious accusation, a spokesman responded with what the outlet characterized as a dismissive reply. No proof was provided to substantiate the claim that Musk had made any such call to violence.
The fabricated allegation represents yet another instance of established media organizations making unsubstantiated claims against prominent conservative and libertarian figures. The German public broadcaster, which is funded through mandatory household fees, dedicated an entire half-hour program to questioning why Musk was supposedly stoking protests in Northern Ireland and what he stood to gain from it.
This episode follows a pattern of controversial coverage from German state-funded media outlets, which have faced growing criticism for perceived political bias. The willingness to broadcast such inflammatory accusations without evidence raises serious questions about editorial standards at taxpayer-funded broadcasting institutions.
Musk’s decision to pursue legal remedies signals an increasingly assertive approach to combating what he views as defamatory reporting from legacy media organizations. The case could set an important precedent for holding state-backed broadcasters accountable for false claims made against public figures.
With information from Nius
