MOSCOW (AP) — A Russian parliamentary panel has accused Deutsche Welle, Germany's state-owned public broadcaster, of inciting protests in Moscow, a claim the broadcaster denies.

The committee in Russia's lower house of parliament charged Friday that the broadcaster encouraged the protests in Moscow against the authorities' refusal to register some independent and opposition candidates for the city council vote held earlier this month.

The candidates' dismissal triggered a series of opposition protests in the Russian capital over the summer, the largest show of discontent against President Vladimir Putin's rule in seven years.

The parliamentary panel said it will propose that the Foreign Ministry strip DW of its accreditation over the alleged violation of the Russian law.

The broadcaster responded by saying that its Broadcasting Council "rejects the accusation that DW interfered in the internal affairs of the Russian Federation."