A Syrian refugee is suing Facebook for allegedly failing to remove photos falsely linking him to terrorism.

Anas Modamani, 19, made headlines in September after a selfie he took with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, went viral.

However, since then, the image has been used to falsely link Modamani to attacks at Brussels Airport, Berlin Christmas Market and even on a homeless man.

His lawyer, Chan-jo Jun, said the social networking site failed to take down a series of posts accusing him of being a militant and criminal.

Facebook has repeatedly refused to take the posts down, saying they do not violate the company’s rules, Modamani’s lawyer said.

Jun said: ‘Whenever something happens in the news related to refugees, his picture reappears.’

A Facebook spokesman told the Guardian newspaper they had received a takedown request from Jun ‘alleging that a specific item of content on our platform violates Mr Modamani’s right of personality’.

He said: ‘Access to that reported content was quickly disabled, so we do not believe there is any basis for him to seek an injunction.’

One post, which used the image, falsely linked Modamani to an incident in Berlin last month, when a group set fire to a sleeping homeless man on a train station platform, Jun said.

The post was shared 500 times and was likely to have been seen by at least 25,000 people, he added.

Jun filed a preliminary injunction against Facebook Europe in December, and a court hearing is scheduled for February 6 in Wurzburg, southern Germany.

The case comes as Germany’s justice ministry considers new policies to crack down on fake news by making Facebook and other social media companies criminally liable for failing to remove hate speech. </s> A Syrian refugee who made headlines after he took a selfie with German Chancellor Angela Merkel is suing Facebook for its alleged failure to remove photos falsely linking him to terrorism.

19-year-old Anas Modamani took the pic of himself with Merkel in September 2015 at a refugee shelter in Berlin.

That image, along with others taken by press agencies, was widely used by media outlets and social media users to comment on Germany's response to the refugee crisis.

However, in at least three different cases his image was doctored by trolls in order to falsely link him to terrorism and crimes.

Modamani was mistakenly identified as one of the men responsible for the bomb attack at Brussels Airport last year. His image was Photoshopped on to a photo of the truck used in the Christmas market terror attack in Berlin along with the words "Es sind Merkels Tote" ("They are Merkel's dead"). And he was accused of being one of seven men who tried to set a homeless man on fire in Berlin.

Modamani disabled his Facebook account and hired attorney Chan-jo Jun to take a case seeking an injunction "to prevent Facebook from publishing the slanderous image of the Syrian refugee Anas Modamani in the context of terrorist attacks."

In the video below, the lawyer said the original post about the homeless arson case had been shared by around 500 people, and likely to have been seen by 25,000 to 50,000 people.

This isn't the first time Chan-jo Jun has taken on Facebook. In November 2016 he initiated an investigation against Mark Zuckerberg and other Facebook executives for failing to remove hate speech even once it was aware of the violations of German law.

Regarding Modmani, a Facebook representative said: "We received a takedown request from Mr Jun alleging that a specific item of content on our platform violates Mr Modamani's right of personality. Access to that reported content was quickly disabled, so we do not believe there is any basis for him to seek an injunction." </s> A Syrian refugee in Germany who took a viral selfie with Chancellor Angela Merkel is now taking Facebook to court because he keeps being accused of terrorism in posts on the social network.

Anas Modamani filed for an injunction that will require Facebook to remove all content from its platform that link him to terrorism. A hearing is scheduled for early February.



“We are bringing Facebook into a German court for the first time over fake news,” says a Facebook post from the law firm representing Modamani. In an accompanying video, his lawyer, Chan-jo Jun, argues that Facebook has not been properly implementing German laws.

“Facebook is showing lots of difficulties in abiding by German laws,” he said. “Slander and insults are against German laws but aren’t against [Facebook’s] community standards. This will show whether one can push through German laws or whether — as many politicians prefer — changes to the German laws are necessary to make Facebook change its behavior.”

Jun said content continues to appear on Facebook that accuses Modamani of being a terrorist, or that link him to violent acts in Germany. He cited a recent Facebook meme that accused Modamani of taking part in an attack on a homeless man in Berlin, and another that linked him to the attack on a Berlin Christmas market.

If granted, the injunction would “prevent Facebook from publishing the slanderous image of the Syrian refugee Anas Modamani in the context of terrorist attacks,” according to the BBC.

Jun is also requesting Facebook be fined 250,000 euros each time it fails to stop fake news about Modamani from spreading.



In a statement, Facebook told the BBC it quickly removed an offending image after being requested to do so by Jun, and therefore “we do not believe there is any basis for him to seek an injunction.”

Modamani arrived in Germany in September 2015 after fleeing Syria. That same month, Merkel made an appearance at the Berlin shelter where he was staying. He managed to snap a selfie with her and soon his photo — as well as news photos of him taking the selfie — spread widely in Germany and beyond.

Since that moment, Modamani has become a target of false accusations of terrorism. When bombs went off in the Brussels airport in March, his photo began to circulate with some claiming he was one of the attackers. It happened again in July after a Syrian refugee set off a suicide bomb near a wine bar in Ansbach, Germany.

“I was fed up with this happening again, so we discussed getting a lawyer involved,” Modamani told the BBC.



BuzzFeed News contacted Modamani and his lawyer and will update this story with any additional information. </s> A Syrian refugee in Germany is taking Facebook to court after false reports using his picture circulated on the social media site.

Anas Modamani was seen taking a selfie with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin in Sept. 2015.

The picture was widely circulated, and was one of the “defining images of the German response to the refugee crisis,” according to The Guardian.

READ MORE: Here’s how Facebook plans to fight fake news

But since then the picture has been used to tie the nineteen-year-old to various terrorist attacks – without any proof.

One picture from March 2016 – still available on Facebook – claims Modamani is one of the terrorists involved in the Brussels bombings.

“Some friends advised that I stay at home and avoid going out in public, which I did.

“Others encouraged me to go to the police and report what was being said about me,” he told BBC News.

“But I kind of just hoped it would go away on its own.”

Other posts link him to the Berlin Christmas market attack and an incident in which a homeless person was set on fire in Berlin.

Modamani says Facebook didn’t do enough to take down the incorrect posts, and that’s why he’s taking them to court.

“Every time something happens that has to do with refugees, he is wheeled out as an icon, as Merkel’s model refugee, and smeared with all sorts of criminal acts,” Jun told the Guardian.

“Anis Modamani is now defending himself by making use of his personal rights. No person has to put up with defamation and insinuation.”

READ MORE: Fake news this week: No, California didn’t legalize child prostitution

Facebook has taken down many of the inflammatory pictures, but some still circulate.

A representative from the company told media that, “Access to that reported content was quickly disabled, so we do not believe there is any basis for him to seek an injunction.”

The case will go to court on Feb. 6. It comes in the wake of the 2016 U.S. presidential election and accusations that fake news on the site influenced the results. </s> A Syrian refugee whose selfie with German chancellor Angela Merkel went viral is suing Facebook for defamation, his lawyer said, after the social networking site failed to take down a series of posts accusing him of being a "terrorist" and criminal.

Anas Modamani, a 19-year-old refugee from Damascus, was pictured in September 2015 taking a selfie with Merkel during her visit to a refugee shelter in Berlin's Spandau district.

The image came to define Germany's response to the refugee crisis, when Merkel opened the country's borders to hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers.

But, in the following months, Modamani's image was shared on Facebook on a series of anonymous accounts, alongside posts claiming he was responsible for attacks and murder, including the Brussels Airport bombing of March 2016.

Facebook has repeatedly refused to take the posts down, saying they do not violate the company's rules, Modamani's lawyer said.

"Whenever something happens in the news related to refugees, his picture reappears," Modamani's lawyer, Chan-jo Jun, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

A Facebook spokesperson told Britain's Guardian newspaper they had received a takedown request from Jun "alleging that a specific item of content on our platform violates Mr Modamani's right of personality.

"Access to that reported content was quickly disabled, so we do not believe there is any basis for him to seek an injunction," the spokesperson said.

Angela Merkel Takes Selfie With Brussels Terrorist. Still wonder why Germany is flooded with rapefugees? #BanIslam pic.twitter.com/fYRPkOuAEK — Stop Islamization (@rally_texas) May 10, 2016

One post falsely linked Modamani to an incident in Berlin last month, when a group set fire to a sleeping homeless man on a train station platform, Jun said.

The post was shared 500 times and was likely to have been seen by at least 25,000 people, he said.

Jun filed a preliminary injunction against Facebook Europe in December, and a court hearing is scheduled for February 6 in Wurzburg, southern Germany, he said.

The case comes as Germany's justice ministry considers new policies to crack down on "fake news" by making Facebook and other social media companies criminally liable for failing to remove hate speech.

Facebook should be treated as a media company rather than a technology company, the justice minister said in November.

Modamani now works in a fast-food restaurant in Berlin, his lawyer said.

Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook's chief executive, announced a series of measures in November to stem a flood of "fake news" articles in the wake of the US presidential election.

He said Facebook would make it easier for users to report fake news, and more difficult for fake news providers to make money through its advertising system. </s> Facebook has repeatedly refused to take the posts down, saying they do not violate the company's rules, Modamani's lawyer said.

A Syrian refugee whose selfie with German Chancellor Angela Merkel went viral is suing Facebook for defamation, his lawyer said, after the social networking site failed to take down a series of posts accusing him of being a militant and criminal.

Anas Modamani, a 19-year-old refugee from Damascus, was pictured in September 2015 taking a selfie with Merkel during her visit to a refugee shelter in Berlin's Spandau district.

The image came to define Germany's response to the refugee crisis, when Merkel opened the country's borders to hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers.

But in the following months Modamani's image was shared on Facebook on a series of anonymous accounts, alongside posts claiming he was responsible for militant attacks and murder, including the Brussels Airport bombing of March 2016.

Facebook has repeatedly refused to take the posts down, saying they do not violate the company's rules, Modamani's lawyer said.

"Whenever something happens in the news related to refugees, his picture reappears," Modamani's lawyer, Chan-jo Jun, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation by phone. Facebook could not be reached immediately for comment by the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

A Facebook spokesperson told Britain's Guardian newspaper they had received a takedown request from Jun "alleging that a specific item of content on our platform violates Mr Modamani's right of personality".

"Access to that reported content was quickly disabled, so we do not believe there is any basis for him to seek an injunction," the spokesperson said.

One post falsely linked Modamani to an incident in Berlin last month, when a group set fire to a sleeping homeless man on a train station platform, Jun said.

The post was shared 500 times and was likely to have been seen by at least 25,000 people, he said. Jun filed a preliminary injunction against Facebook Europe in December, and a court hearing is scheduled for Feb. 6 in Wurzburg, southern Germany, he said.

The case comes as Germany's justice ministry considers new policies to crack down on fake news by making Facebook and other social media companies criminally liable for failing to remove hate speech.

Facebook should be treated as a media company rather than a technology company, the justice minister said in November. Modamani now works in a fast-food restaurant in Berlin, his lawyer said. </s> “Access to that reported content was quickly disabled, so we do not believe there is any basis for him to seek an injunction.”

Chan-jo Jun, his lawyer, is seeking an injunction preventing Facebook from publishing “the slanderous image of the Syrian refugee Anas Modamani in the context of terrorist attacks”.

Facebook has come under increasing pressure over “fake news” stories with Thomas Opperman, the chief of the Social Democrat Party, a junior partner in Germany’s coalition government, calling for the company to be fined up to €500,000 (£437,000) for each post contacting fake news or hate speech.

Last month Facebook said it intended to introduce tools to prevent fake news stories from spreading fake news in response to complaints it hard received from users over how it monitored content. </s> A B.C. man whose Facebook posts promoted ISIS and praised lone wolf terrorist attacks has been ordered deported from Canada.

The Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada has ruled that Othman Hamdan of Fort St. John is a "danger to the security of Canada" and is therefore inadmissible.

"While Mr. Hamdan has no history of violence, he has praised lone wolf attacks, actively promoted the Islamic State, disseminated instructions on how to commit attacks and seems fascinated with the extreme violence of the Islamic State demonstrated by possessing Islamic State videos depicting gruesome murders," IRB member Marc Tessler wrote in an Oct. 18 decision.

"Mr. Hamdan's threats take on a more sinister dimension when a fascination with violence is mixed with anger and resentment."

Despite the deportation order, Hamdan isn't likely to be removed from Canada anytime soon, though he remains in custody. There are still a number of outstanding legal matters to be decided, including the removal of his refugee status, before he can be deported.

Hamdan, a Jordanian national, says he moved to Canada from the U.S. in 2002 because of threats he'd received. He was granted refugee protection in 2004.

He was acquitted last year in B.C. Supreme Court of terrorism-related charges related to his Facebook posts, but was arrested by officers from the Canada Border Services Agency upon his release from custody.

85 posts on 14 Facebook accounts

During his immigration hearing, Hamdan had argued that his posts were an expression of free speech.

But Tessler said the material was dangerous because it encouraged others to commit terrorist attacks.

At issue were a total of 85 Facebook posts on 14 different accounts — Hamdan was forced to create new accounts every time the social media company disabled one for promoting terrorism, according to Tessler.

The posts included praise for Michael Zehaf-Bibeau, the 2014 Parliament Hill shooter, and Martin Couture-Rouleau, who killed a soldier with his car in Quebec the same year.

Hamdan also posted a lengthy entry that Tessler described as a "how-to" for people hoping to carry out lone wolf attacks against non-Muslims.

"The post provides the reader with a menu of killing options, including slitting the victim's throat with a knife, hitting them over the head with a heavy object and then slitting their throat, stabbing victims while riding past them on a motorbike; poisoning, choking and shooting them with a firearm equipped with a silencer, taking a vehicle from a Christian or an apostate and using it run people over," Tessler wrote.

'Sadistic inhumanity'

Hamdan's immigration hearings also heard evidence about how he'd created some troubling graffiti inside his holding cell at the Vancouver law courts, including an attempted drawing of the Islamic State's flag.

One of his neighbours in the cells gave police a thumb drive belonging to Hamdan that was filled with videos about ISIS. It contained six videos that featured "the kind of sadistic inhumanity associated with the Islamic State, including manual beheadings and the shootings of individuals in the head at close range," Tessler wrote.

The judge who handled Hamdan's criminal trial ruled in 2017 that while Hamdan's comments were offensive, they didn't amount to incitement of terrorism. Hamdan was found not guilty of encouraging murder, assault and mischief for terrorist-related purposes, as well inducing and instructing someone to carry out a terrorist act.

However, as Tessler pointed out in his decision, immigration matters have a "considerably lower" burden of truth than criminal trials — the government only needs to prove there are reasonable grounds to believe an allegation is true. </s> Mark Zuckerberg is facing fierce criticism after Facebook censored one of the most famous war photographs in history.

The editor of a top Norwegian newspaper on Thursday addressed an open letter to Zuckerberg saying he was "upset, disappointed -- well, in fact even afraid" about Facebook's impact on media freedom.

Espen Egil Hansen said his newspaper, Aftenposten, received a demand from Facebook to remove the iconic Vietnam War photo of a naked girl fleeing a napalm attack.

"Less than 24 hours after the email was sent, and before I had time to give my response, you intervened yourselves and deleted the article as well as the image from Aftenposten's Facebook page," Hansen wrote.

Related: Facebook ditches humans in favor of algorithms for trending news

His complaint highlights growing concern about Facebook's vast and expanding influence over news and other content seen by more than a billion people around the world.

"You create rules that don't distinguish between child pornography and famous war photographs," Hansen wrote to Zuckerberg. "Then you practice these rules without allowing space for good judgment."

Facebook (FB, Tech30) said it recognizes that the photo is iconic, but stressed that it's "difficult to create a distinction between allowing a photograph of a nude child in one instance and not others."

"We try to find the right balance between enabling people to express themselves while maintaining a safe and respectful experience for our global community," the company said. "Our solutions won't always be perfect, but we will continue to try to improve our policies and the ways in which we apply them."

The pressure intensified on Friday when Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg accused the company of deleting the image from her own public page.

"What they do in removing such pictures, whatever their reasons, is to edit our common history," Solberg said in a statement that urged Facebook to face up to its responsibilities as a major media platform.

Related: The girl in the picture -- a journey from war to forgiveness

The saga began when Norwegian author Tom Egeland posted a series of historic war photographs on Facebook.

The social network removed one of the images -- the famous Vietnam photo of the naked girl, Kim Phuc, fleeing the napalm attack -- and later suspended Egeland's account after he posted a reaction to the deletion.

When Aftenposten posted its article about what happened to Egeland on Facebook, that too fell foul of the rules.

"You even censor criticism against and a discussion about the decision -- and you punish the person who dares to voice criticism," Hansen wrote.

The dramatic photo, snapped by Associated Press photojournalist Nick Ut in 1972, won a Pulitzer Prize and is one of the most memorable images of the 20th Century. Despite its graphic nature, the photo has been credited with helping to turn U.S. public sentiment against the war in Vietnam.

Hansen told CNNMoney's Nina Dos Santos on Friday that Zuckerberg is now "the most influential editor-in-chief in the world."

"With that follows a great responsibility," Hansen said. "I ask him to think through what he is doing ... to the public debate all over the world."

Rolv Erik Ryssdal, chief executive of Aftenposten's publisher, said in a statement that Facebook's position "is not acceptable" and constitutes an attack on democracy and freedom of expression.

Zuckerberg has tried to fend off pressure about Facebook's role in managing what articles and images people see.

"We're a technology company, we're not a media company," he said last month. "We do not produce any of the content."

Facebook says it relies on users to report offensive content. Items they flag are then reviewed by teams of workers around the world who speak many languages, including Norwegian.

But some media experts say the system is fatally flawed.

"Whether intentional or desired or not, Facebook does now play a critical role in the distribution of news," Jeff Jarvis, a journalism professor at the City University of New York, wrote earlier this year. "An editor -- or perhaps an ethicist-in-chief -- could help set the services standards and policies."

Jarvis seized on Hansen's letter to Zuckerberg, tweeting that it's an example of "exactly why I keep suggesting Facebook needs a top level journalist."

Facebook was engulfed by controversy in May over how news stories were chosen for its "trending topics" box. Last month, it removed the humans responsible for manually writing news descriptions and headlines for the section, turning the job over to software programs.
A Syrian refugee is suing Facebook after the company failed to remove posts with his image that accuse him of being a terrorist.