According to the author of the “Facebook” post, the photo shows a girl wearing a hijab who allegedly stated at the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) conference in Germany that she does not want Magdeburg to become a “suburb of Moscow.”
The author sarcastically raises the mocking question of whether she wants the “city to rather become a ‘suburb of Baghdad’.”
Such a comment creates a false opposition – as if the people of Germany must choose only between “Moscow” and “Baghdad.”
The image of a woman wearing a hijab is used to suggest that resistance to Russian influence is not in Germany’s security interest, but a political position imposed by Muslims.
Thus, opponents of Russia are artificially identified with migrants, and anti-Muslim sentiments are simultaneously stirred up.
DI spokesperson
That the image circulated on social networks is not an authentic photo from the event is shown both by verification with DI’s content detection tool “Hive Moderation” and by the typical flaws of artificially generated images visible in it.
The girl’s facial features are unusually blurred, and her hand is deformed. Suspicion is also raised by graphic elements: the CDU logo on the podium looks unnaturally bright and flat, while the nearby text is almost unreadable.
The forgery is especially betrayed by the inscription “Parteitag 2035” (“Conference 2035”) visible in the right corner, although the image was circulated in 2026.
Phrase – German politician
In fact, the words about Magdeburg as a “suburb of Moscow” were not spoken by the alleged hijab-wearing CDU conference participant, but by German Green politician, Baden-Württemberg Prime Minister Cem Özdemir.
In an interview with the publication “Tagesspiegel”, he spoke about the Saxony-Anhalt state parliament elections to be held on September 6, in which the party “Alternative for Germany” (AfD), known for its pro-Russian positions, hoped for a significant victory.
Read more Israeli minister presented a plan to relocate Gaza Strip residents
C. Özdemir planned to participate in several Green election campaign events and support the party’s candidate Susan Sziborra-Seidlitz. The politician emphasized that a possible AfD rise to power would mean a turning point not only for Saxony-Anhalt but for all of Germany.
It was in this context that C. Özdemir stated he wanted Saxony-Anhalt to remain Saxony-Anhalt and Magdeburg not to become a “suburb of Moscow.”
He also said that people who love Germany should not make the country dependent on Vladimir Putin or other authoritarian leaders. Thus, the phrase was a politician’s warning about possible increased Russian influence, not a Muslim woman’s statement at a CDU event.
On social networks, the real quote was separated from its author and circumstances and then attributed to an AI-generated hijab-wearing woman. This way, the political discussion about AfD and Russia was manipulatively linked to migration and Muslims.
15min verdict: false. The image circulated on social networks is not a photo from the CDU conference – it was generated by artificial intelligence, and the alleged hijab-wearing spokesperson does not exist.
The words about Magdeburg as a “suburb of Moscow” were indeed said by German Green politician Cem Özdemir, warning about possible pro-Russian AfD influence after the Saxony-Anhalt state parliament elections.
The real quote was taken out of political context and attributed to a fictional Muslim woman to manipulatively link criticism of Russia with migration and to incite anti-Muslim sentiments.
Publication prepared by 15min in cooperation with Meta, aiming to stop the spread of misleading news on the social network. More about the program and its rules – here.
Read more Dozens of migrants heading to the EU detained at the Bosnia and Herzegovina border with Croatia
