Premier League star investigated over liking anti-LGBTQ footage
(MENAFN) German authorities have launched an investigation into Fulham goalkeeper and former German international Bernd Leno after he allegedly "liked" a controversial AI-generated video showing violence at a gay pride parade, according to Bild.
The video reportedly depicts a car ramming into participants at a pride march, styled like a scene from the video game Grand Theft Auto 6. Pascal Kaiser, an openly bisexual football referee and content creator, filed charges of incitement of hatred against both the video’s creators and Leno for interacting with the content on Instagram.
Kaiser told Bild he was outraged by Leno's engagement with the video, stating, “It’s bad enough such vile content exists, but for someone like Leno to amplify it by liking it is an even bigger scandal.”
Screenshots show the verified Instagram account belonging to Leno, which has around 810,000 followers, had liked the video before the like was removed and the clip deleted. Kaiser claimed he messaged Leno privately to ask for an explanation, but was blocked in response. He then urged his followers to post rainbow emojis on Leno’s posts, prompting the goalkeeper to disable comments on his profile.
Police confirmed the complaint had been filed and said state security was handling the investigation.
Leno’s management agency, fair-sport GmbH, responded by saying the goalkeeper “is a cosmopolitan person” who “never knowingly liked the video.” The agency added that Leno intends to hire legal counsel and review the case files.
Leno, 33, currently plays for Fulham in the English Premier League and has made nine appearances for the German national team, with his last cap coming in a 2021 match against Liechtenstein.
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