German officials have blamed “fake news” on social media for helping fuel right-wing violence in the eastern German city of Chemnitz over the past two days.
“We have to acknowledge that mobilization on the internet was stronger than in the past,” said Michael Kretschmer, state premier of Saxony, where the violence took place.
The death of a 35-year-old German man in the early hours of Sunday – allegedly at the hands of two asylum seekers from Iraq and Syria – has sparked two days of protests that were partially fueled by the false claim the victim had intervened to protect a woman.
The claim had been disseminated mainly by right-wing groups and the organizer of the rally Pro Chemnitz on social media but was later declared by police to be false.
Kretschmer said the subsequent anger “was based on xenophobic comments, false information and conspiracy theories … it was based on fake news.”
DW
11th October 2026
What began last year as a blood donation initiative involving six companies is expanding into a broader corporate effort, with three additional companies joining this...
10th October 2026
Artificial intelligence is rapidly moving up the boardroom agenda, raising an important question for non-executive directors: are boards equipped to oversee the transformation AI is brin...
9th October 2026
Updated 1100
Borg Calls for National Agreement on Malta’s Economic Future: Opposition Leader Alex Borg has called for long-term planning and greater investment in infrastructure, ener...
8th October 2026
Morning Briefing
Employers reject claim that private sector drove population growth
Malta Employers has rejected Finance Minister Clyde Caruana’s suggestion that businesses helped ...
25th June 2026
The European Commission has unveiled an ambitious package of tax reforms aimed at simplifying tax rules across the European Union, reducing compliance burdens for businesses and strength...
10th June 2026
The European Union's new Migration and Asylum Pact enters into force on 12 June, ushering in the most significant reform of the bloc's migration framework in years and placing renewed em...
11th October 2026
What began last year as a blood donation initiative involving six companies is expanding into a broader corporate effort, with three additional companies joining this...
10th October 2026
Artificial intelligence is rapidly moving up the boardroom agenda, raising an important question for non-executive directors: are boards equipped to oversee the transformation AI is brin...
11th October 2026
What began last year as a blood donation initiative involving six companies is expanding into a broader corporate effort, with three additional companies joining this...
10th October 2026
Artificial intelligence is rapidly moving up the boardroom agenda, raising an important question for non-executive directors: are boards equipped to oversee the transformation AI is brin...
9th October 2026
Malta Employers presented its Pre-Budget Document 2027 to Prime Minister Robert Abela at Castille, calling on Government to deliver a transformational Budget that moves the country away ...
7th October 2026
Malta Public Transport will be operating special and additional services for Birgufest on Saturday, 10 October 2026, including night trips to facilitate access to this cultural and histo...
3rd September 2026
Fears of renewed escalation gripped the Middle East on Wednesday after the United States and Iran exchanged their biggest barrage since July, with Washington striking Iran's southern co...
4th August 2026
President Donald Trump announced late Saturday that he had called off planned U.S. strikes on Iran, saying renewed negotiations had raised hopes of easing the conflict and reopening ship...
25th June 2026
At least 32 people have been killed and more than 700 injured after two powerful earthquakes — measuring 7.2 and 7.5 — struck central Venezuela seconds apart, causing widespread destruct...
25th February 2026
Thousands of Cuban security personnel have begun leaving Caracas after nearly two decades in Venezuela, as Washington ramps up efforts to dismantle the long standing alliance between the...
9th October 2026
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy accused the US of being unwilling to help Ukraine after a Russian bomb attack on Thursday killed at least 35 people in the east, sending the two-...
7th October 2026
Russia destroyed an apartment block in northern Ukraine as a birthday "gift" to Vladimir Putin, Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday, after overnight missile and drone strikes killed at ...