Berlin - A provocative satirical action took place in front of the Federal Chancellery in Berlin: an artists' collective put up fake posters showing AfD politicians behind bars and distributed a video with a deceptively real but fake speech by Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz. The campaign, which was apparently created using artificial intelligence, has caused considerable anger within the German government.
Government spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit made a clear statement about the incident: "We are not taking this lightly at all," he emphasized in Berlin. He warned of the manipulative effect of such forgeries, which could stir up uncertainty among the population. The question of legal consequences is still open.
The Center for Political Beauty, known for its political satire, had initially put up the posters and spread the fake news of an AfD ban on the internet. The video published later imitated a speech by Chancellor Scholz in which he appeared to justify the ban on the AfD.
Although Hebestreit acknowledged the quality of the video - it was "deceptively genuine" - he underlined the danger of such fakes. They make it difficult to distinguish between truth and fiction and could influence public opinion.
The German government is facing the challenge of dealing with the phenomenon of increasing disinformation. A working group at the Federal Chancellery is currently developing strategies to counter this development. Results are expected in the summer.
The artists' collective went one step further with its campaign and launched a website on the alleged AfD ban. Numerous facts about AfD members were listed there to highlight the urgency and seriousness of their plan. The group sees this as an important contribution to the fight against right-wing extremism and the protection of democracy in Germany.
