Overseas Chinese strongly condemn invalid and false speculations by German media over a recent murder case in which seven Asians were killed, said the associations of Chinese in Germany in a joint statement.

"We protest against false accusations against Chinese citizens in Europe," said the Association of Chinese in Germany and the Association of Chinese Businessmen in the latest issue of Germany's Chinese newspaper Europe Business and Lifestyle.

Seven Asians, one of them Chinese, were killed early February in a Chinese restaurant in Germany's northern town of Sittensen. However, German newspaper die Welt, without any ground, jumped to the conclusion that the murderer could probably be Chinese mafia.

The paper said the number of the Chinese criminal group in Europe adds up to 200,000 people, which accounts for one tenth of all Chinese living in Europe.

The German Bild tabloid went even further, calling the murder "China Massacre" on its frontlines.

Those German media, with its "entirely groundless speculation, have deeply hurt the feelings of all Chinese in Europe, " said the Chinese paper.

"We call on those media to observe the rules of journalism, among them objectiveness and seriousness, and we demand an apology from those German media."

The investigation into the murder case is still under way. Only several Vietnamese suspects were arrested so far.

(Xinhua News Agency March 8, 2007)