A Syrian refugee whose selfie with German Chancellor Angela Merkel has been repeatedly manipulated to link him to violent jihad, took Facebook to court on Monday for spreading defamatory fake news. Anas Modamani, 19, says the US social media giant has failed to take down doctored images and posts that have falsely linked him to, among other things, deadly Islamist attacks in Brussels and Berlin last year.
He is asking a court in Germany's southern city of Wuerzburg for an injunction against Facebook Ireland Limited, the group's European subsidiary, that would force it to take down all posts linking him to terrorism or criminal offences.
That includes a recent posting which wrongfully claims Modamani was among a group of Berlin juvenile delinquents who tried to set fire to a homeless man in a case that sparked public outrage last Christmas.
Modamani is being represented by German lawyer Chan-jo Jun, who has already launched separate criminal complaints against Facebook for inciting hatred.
Jun argues that Facebook should comply with German law and remove illegal content, claiming that the company's own community standards did not prevent defamatory and insulting statements.
"We want to put an end to the incitement and slander," Jun told reporters after the first hearing on Monday.
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