German court orders X to remove fake Jan Böhmermann account over disinformation
The Cologne Regional Court has barred X from distributing or making publicly accessible a fake profile impersonating Jan Böhmermann—one not operated by the satirist himself. This ruling is outlined in a court order obtained by Der Spiegel. The imposter account, which frequently posted multiple times a day, used Böhmermann's profile picture and went by the name "Jan Boehmermann (Parody) ZDF Neo Royale." Due to the lengthy handle, it was not immediately clear—especially in the X app or its mobile version—that the account was allegedly meant to be a parody.
According to the law firm Jun, the fake account's posts repeatedly aimed to "fuel hatred against Böhmermann and incite the far-right user base of X against him."
For Böhmermann, the case is less about his own reputation or the anonymous operator of the fake account, and more about sending a broader message regarding X's conduct as a platform. In a statement to Der Spiegel, he said: "Consistently enforcing German and European law against those who trample on our laws, our values, and our society is simply a matter of basic democratic courage."
Böhmermann's legal team, led by attorney Chan-jo Jun, is pursuing a matter of principle. Jun argues that X is "primarily driven by profit"—including revenue generated by such fake accounts. The lawyers intend to sue X in a later stage of the proceedings to disclose how much money the company has earned "through disinformation, manipulation, and fake content" under Böhmermann's name.
X now has the option to challenge the preliminary injunction. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Der Spiegel.
Source: Der Spiegel
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