"Security has been tightened at German Christmas markets after recent deadly attacks. But if some online videos were to be believed, they've become barbed-wire fortresses guarded by armoured personnel carriers. A flood of disinformation has circulated on social media, with some doctored clips also giving the wrong impression that an Islamic cleric called for prayers at one of the festive events, and that markets have been stormed by Muslim men."
"Recent images and videos showed what were claimed to be Muslim men or "Islamist immigrants" massing at Christmas markets in the cities of Hamburg and Stuttgart. But AFP research showed that the footage was from other events: an October 2024 rally by the activist group Muslim Interaktiv, which has since been banned, and Syrians celebrating the fall of president Bashar al-Assad late last year."
Security at German Christmas markets has been increased after deadly attacks, but social media disinformation portrays the markets as militarized and overrun by Muslim men. Doctored videos and AI-generated images exaggerate security measures and falsely claim events such as prayers led by an Islamic cleric. Investigations found that footage claiming to show "Islamist immigrants" at markets actually came from an October 2024 rally by Muslim Interaktiv and from Syrians celebrating the fall of Bashar al-Assad. AI images show metre-high barbed wire and military vehicles that were not present. The misinformation amplifies far-right narratives about immigration and Islamisation.
Read at The Local Germany
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]