According to German media an unnamed man has been told by a German court that if he continues to post on the Facebook wall or has any contact with pro-mass migration journalist Dunja Hayali he will be fined €250,000. The Hamburg regional court declined to tell media what comments the man made to provoke the state-enforced censorship, according to Web.De.
Ms. Hayali recently won a “Golden Camera” award for her reporting for German state TV channel ZDF, which recently launched an Arabic-language service as well as subtitling Chancellor Angela Merkel’s New Year’s address in the language.
In Ms. Hayali’s acceptance speech, she argued against “xenophobia” and “right wing” ideas, no doubt confirming her as a darling of the German media establishment. She reacted to her critics saying ,”If you make racist comments, then you are f*cking racist.”
Ms. Hayali is known as having an extremely pro-migrant stance. As the daughter of Iraqi migrants she is regarded by German media like Tagesspiel as “probably the most famous German TV face – with an immigrant background,” and she is described as an “ambassador” for the group “Show Your Face” who “fight against the right”.
“Show Your Face” is a group dedicated to outing opposition to the Merkel government and to what they perceive as “hatred” and xenophobia.
The organisation’s managing director Rebecca Weis argues that political persecution of their opposition is required to keep migrants safe from violence, by associating all critics of asylum with banned groups. Weis, in an interview with German media, said after a visit to Heidenau along with Ms. Hayali in August of last year, “We went to Heidenau to strengthen the youth. Many are very insecure and feel threatened – from the extreme right, not by the refugees.”
When Weis was asked about her opinion on the media coverage of the migrant crisis, she says ,”what really makes me angry is what has recently been spoken of “asylum critics”. Who are active in front of [migrant] homes inciting hate like neo-Nazis, chanting racist slogans, which is racist and right-wing extremist – and that should be named that way,” giving a clear opinion that she thinks all opponents of the migrant crisis are neo-Nazis.
These associations along with her past as a pro-migrant campaigner are part of why Ms. Hayali has received criticism online. The biggest event to tip of the barrage of comments was her TV programme, in which she went to an Alternative for Germany (AfD) rally in order to cover the event. Immediately recognised by bystanders, she was told she was a liar and part of the “Lugenpresse” – a common German idiom employed to refer to the “liar media”.
Given her past as a campaigner for migrants and her being the “ambassador” for an organisation that equates those rally-goers to Nazis, it is little wonder the reaction from many in the crowd to her presence.
The court in Hamburg did not specify the exact nature of the comments toward Ms. Hayali, so it is impossible to say whether or not they were legitimate criticism, or in fact, “racist” abuse.
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