A Syrian refugee in Germany - famous for a selfie he took with Chancellor Angela Merkel in 2015 - is taking Facebook to court. His motive is to stop the circulation of fake news posts showing his face.
Image: Getty Images/S. Gallup
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Facebook has been summoned to a district court in the southern city of Würzburg in what could mark a precedent in the fight against hatred and agitation in social networks.
The public hearing will take place on Monday to decide on an interim injunction against Facebook Europe - the first time the social media giant will take the stand in a German court over the spread of multiple "fake news" posts.
How a selfie with Merkel changed a refugee's life
Are you addicted to taking selfies? Or do you laugh them off as a trend among teenagers? For Anas Modamani one particular selfie proved to be life-changing.
Image: Anas Modamani
Meeting Angela Merkel
While in a refugee camp in Berlin Spandau, Anas Modamani heard that the German Chancellor Angela Merkel was coming for a visit and would be talking to refugees. The 19-year-old Syrian, who is quite fond of social media, went to take a selfie. He was hoping for the selfie to inspire a real change in his life..
Image: Anas Modamani
Escape to Europe
When Modamani's house in Damascus was bombed, he fled with his parents and siblings to a smaller city called Garia. That is when Anas fled for Europe in the hope that his family could join him there, once he had made it. He first traveled to Lebanon and from there to Turkey and then on to Greece.
Image: Anas Modamani
Dangerous journey
Anas almost died on the way. In order to get to Greece from Turkey he had to travel in a rubber boat, like most refugees. Anas says the boat was overcrowded and eventually capsized and he almost drowned.
Image: Anas Modamani
Five weeks by foot
From Greece Anas traveled by foot to Macedonia. He continued to Hungary and Austria. In September 2015, he reached his final destination: Munich. Once in Germany, he decided he wants to move to Berlin. He has been living there ever since.
Image: Anas Modamani
Waiting for an asylum
Upon arrival to Berlin, Anas spent entire days in front of the LaGeSo, a refugee center in the city. The 19-year-old says that the situation at the LaGeSo was difficult, especially during the winter. Eventually he was sent to the refugee center in Berlin Spandau. He wanted to raise awareness to his situation as a refugee and a selfie with Merkel seemed like the perfect chance to do exactly that.
Image: Anas Modamani
A family at last
Anas says that the selfie with Chancellor Merkel was a life-changer for him. He got a lot of media attention after the photo was published online, and that is how his German foster family became aware of him. He has been living with them for 2 months now. They have been supporting him ever since he became a member of their family.
Image: Anas Modamani
Missing home
Since living with the Meeuw's Anas is happier than ever before. He is doing a German language course, has made a lot of friends and is doing a lot of cultural activities. He graduated high school in Syria and wants to pursue higher studies in Germany. But his main aim right now is to be officially granted asylum and to be able to bring his family to Germany as well.
Image: Anas Modamani
Negative sentiment towards refugees
Anas is hoping for a good and safe life in Germany. But he is worried about the current sentiment towards refugees in the country. He thinks that the negative mood might escalate and have an impact on the laws in regard to refugees. Anas fears that he might not be granted asylum after all, thus ending his dream of bringing his family to Germany.
Image: Anas Modamani
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Bavarian lawyer Chan-jo Jun filed an injunction on behalf of a young Syrian refugee who says his photo is being spread on social media with claims he is a terrorist, or a ruthless criminal.
"Facebook is unusually difficult about implementing German law," Jun tells users who visit his law office's Facebook page. "Slander and abusive insults are against German law, but not against its community standards."
Widely sharedfake news
Modamani gained instant fame with a selfie he took in 2015 with the German chancellor when she visited the Berlin refugee shelter where the young newcomer was housed. He posted the picture on social media with no idea of the reception it might get, Modamani told DW in last month. German media snapped up a photo of the brief moment, and over the months, it has resurfaced on social media, too.
A moment of silence a day after the suicide bombings in the Belgian capitalImage: DW/E. Bryant
Whenever there's a refugee-related incident, he's trotted out as Merkel's model refugee, "and the crimes are blamed on him," argues Jun. No one should have to put up with that, so now "Modamani is fighting back," says the IT attorney, who has filed various legal complaints against the US social networking company, including demands that Facebook comply with Germany's hate speech laws.
Fighting back against slander
Most recently, the photo of Modamani and false claims that he was part of a group that tried to set fire to a sleeping homeless man in a Berlin subway station in December was shared more than 500 times. It did not sufficiently violate Facebook's community standards to be removed, the attorney says, adding that his client's image and the deprecatory comments can still be found on Facebook.
Earlier in 2016, fake news content showed the 19-year-old refugee's image in connection was the terrorist attacks in March in Brussels, claiming he was one of them and had just pretended to be a refugee, with some sites insinuating Merkel took "a selfie with a terrorist."
In case of failure to comply with an order to stop circulation of the fake news about his client, Chan-jo Jun wants Facebook fined by up to 250,000 euros ($264,000.) The lawyer also says it's high time to end the "cat and mouse game" involved in having to pursue Facebook in the registered jurisdiction of its European headquarters in Dublin.
