German Cabinet Concerned About Spread Of Fake News On Floods

The German government is worried about the growing amount of fake information on floods, including by COVID-19 dissident movement Querdenken, Cabinet Deputy Spokesperson Ulrike Demmer said on Wednesday

BERLIN (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 28th July, 2021) The German government is worried about the growing amount of fake information on floods, including by COVID-19 dissident movement Querdenken, Cabinet Deputy Spokesperson Ulrike Demmer said on Wednesday.

"With great concern and shock we note that over the recent weeks, right after the floods, there are people who take advantage of this extreme situation to disseminate false information. These people are aggravating the tense situation and the understandable uncertainty of the people affected. Querdenken supporters are among [those who propagate false information]. With their actions, they are also undermining trust in volunteers and action by the state. We regard it as cowardly and shameful and denounce these actions," Demmer stated at a briefing.

The police are providing a quick response to fake info on social media.

The official also urged people to rely instead on information from official websites.

Deadly floods caused by heavy downpours swept across Germany in mid-July. The states of North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saxony, and Bavaria are among the most affected. The latest death toll has surpassed 170 people, while infrastructure sustained billions of Euros in damage.

The Querdenken movement that emerged in the German city of Stuttgart in 2020 includes pandemic skeptics, "anti-vaxxers" and anti-lockdown advocates. Querdenken supporters protested en masse against COVID-19 restrictions at rallies, which often spilled into clashes with the police, with protesters attempting to raid the German parliament in August 2020.