On March 19, 2026, Der Spiegel published a cover story about Collien Fernandes and digital violence. On the same day, Federal Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig (SPD) announced a new law. That evening, Fernandes and Hubig sat together on Caren Miosga’s ARD show.
What appeared to be a spontaneous political response to a disturbing case was the result of a chain set in motion months earlier — one that begins not in Berlin, but in New York.
The Funding Chain #
Step 1: Open Society Foundations to Campact #
The Open Society Foundations of billionaire George Soros paid approximately 300,000 euros to the Campact Democratic Foundation in 2022. The purpose is stated on the OSF grants page: to support the foundation in strengthening HateAid.
Campact itself confirms the payment: a “one-time major donation of 300,000 euros from the Open Society Foundation.”
Step 2: Campact to HateAid #
Campact holds a 33.32 percent stake in HateAid gGmbH — an organization that Campact co-founded in 2018. The Hamburg Higher Regional Court confirmed this ownership in April 2026.
Step 3: HateAid and Taxpayer Money #
HateAid has received approximately 2.2 million euros from the then Green-led Federal Family Ministry since 2021.
Step 4: HateAid Draft Law to Justice Ministry #
On February 6, 2026, HateAid submitted a 4-page draft law to the Federal Justice Ministry. Goal: criminalizing non-consensual sexualized deepfakes. This submission is documented in the Bundestag lobby register.
On March 19, 2026 — six weeks later — SPD Justice Minister Hubig announced exactly this law in Der Spiegel. Apollo News documented via the lobby register: HateAid provided the template.
Step 5: Hubig Goes Further Than HateAid #
The minister’s draft law goes beyond HateAid’s demands: non-sexualized deepfakes would also become criminal offenses. Critics see this as an attack on satire, political memes, and critical reporting.
The Staging #
The Berliner Zeitung reports: HateAid systematically works with media outlets and ministries.
The timeline:
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Feb 6, 2026 | HateAid submits draft law to Justice Ministry |
| Mar 19, 2026 | Spiegel cover story on Fernandes |
| Mar 19, 2026 | Hubig announces deepfake law |
| Mar 19, 2026 | ARD Caren Miosga: Fernandes + Hubig together |
| Mar 21, 2026 | Demonstrations in Berlin (13,000 participants) |
| Mar 26, 2026 | Fernandes cancels Hamburg demo (death threats) |
| April 2026 | Hubig plans to introduce law |
The fact that the draft law was already at the ministry six weeks before the Spiegel story raises a simple question: Was the Fernandes case used to provide an emotional trigger for an already-finished law?
The Deepfake Question #
A detail lost in the media coverage: Fernandes herself told NIUS that Ulmen did not send AI-generated deepfakes — but rather videos from porn sites featuring similar-looking performers. The word “deepfake” was introduced by media reporting, not by the facts of the case.
Ulmen’s lawyers publicly stated: Ulmen never produced or distributed deepfake videos.
A law against deepfakes, justified by a case that contains no deepfakes.
US Sanctions #
In 2025, HateAid founder Anna-Lena von Hodenberg was sanctioned by the Trump administration — for “egregious acts of extraterritorial censorship.” An organization classified by the US as a censorship actor is writing laws in Germany.
The Network #
The chain summarized:
George Soros (OSF) -> 300,000 euros -> Campact -> 33.32% shareholder -> HateAid -> draft law -> SPD Justice Minister Hubig -> law
In parallel: Alexander Soros met SPD leader Klingbeil at the Munich Security Conference 2023. Klingbeil has been Vice Chancellor and Finance Minister since May 2025.
These are not conspiracy theories. These are public sources: OSF grants page, lobby register, Hamburg court, EU parliamentary inquiries, Instagram posts.
The question is not whether these connections exist. The question is why they don’t appear in the media covering the deepfake law.
Sources:
- Open Society Foundations: Grants to Campact / HateAid
- Campact: Transparency report — OSF donation confirmed
- Hamburg Higher Regional Court: Campact 33.32% shareholder of HateAid
- NachDenkSeiten: HateAid — 2.2M euros from the Family Ministry
- Apollo News: HateAid provided template for draft law
- Berliner Zeitung: How HateAid works with media and ministries
- Tichys Einblick: The Fernandes-HateAid-Hubig Complex
- EU Parliament: Inquiry E-001842/2024 — Causa Campact
- Multipolar: Legal assessments on Campact donations
- elizaonsteroids.org: Digital Violence and the Fernandes Case
- elizaonsteroids.org: The Red Thread: Klingbeil, Soros and the Epstein Files
