BERLIN (Sputnik) — The court in Wuerzburg ruled Facebook did not have to proactively delete all posts featuring the claimant’s selfie with Merkel, which sprouted a series of fake news that linked him to extremist violence, the DPA news agency said.
Anas Modamani, a Syrian from Damascus, made the selfie at a Berlin refugee center soon after coming to Germany in 2015. The photo quickly became a symbol of Merkel’s controversial open-door policy on refugees.
The picture was then reposted anonymously on Facebook alongside stories that implicated him in the bombing of a Brussels airport, the truck attack at a Berlin Christmas market and setting a homeless man ablaze. The Syrian said it made life for him harder and asked the justice system to interfere.
Syrian refugee Anas Modamani waited with his mobile phone ready and when German Chancellor Angela Merkel emerged, he snapped a selfie. 😊 pic.twitter.com/988wWgVoEz
— KaRaYe II (@Eminent_karaye) 22 февраля 2017 г.