The European Foundation for Democracy (EFD) applauds the French broadcasting authority Conseil supérieur de l'audiovisuel (CSA) for issuing a broadcast ban of al-Aqsa TV, the satellite television of the EU-listed terrorist organisation Hamas.
According to the order, al-Aqsa TV “violates article 15 of the French media law of 30 September 1986 which prohibits all forms of incitement to hatred or violence on the ground of race, religion or nationality”. Al-Aqsa TV has been broadcast into Europe by Atlantic Bird 4, owned by the French satellite provider Eutelsat.
“We commend the French broadcasting authority for implementing European audiovisual law and standing up against inflammatory broadcasts that incite terrorism,” said Roberta Bonazzi, Executive Director of the European Foundation for Democracy.
“Incitement to violence is not protected by free speech and terrorists should not be permitted to hide behind the facade of media and abuse European democracy to promote terrorism. We are confident that Eutelsat will take all necessary measures to comply with the ban,” Bonazzi continued.
Al-Aqsa TV and Hezbollah’s al-Manar TV, after which al-Aqsa is modeled, promote Jihadism and violent ideologies, indoctrinate their audiences with hate, incite terrorism and glorify suicide bombers. They spread viciously anti-Semitic propaganda, and call for attacks against the West.
Al-Aqsa TV continues to be available in Europe via Arabsat, whose largest shareholder is Saudi Arabia. “European governments and citizens should demand that Arabsat drop al-Aqsa TV from its offering,” says Alexander Ritzmann, EFD’s Senior Terrorism Analyst. “Hamas’ al-Aqsa TV and Hezbollah’s al-Manar TV are radicalizing Muslims in Europe. Their broadcasts of children dressed as suicide bombers practicing attacks - instructing them that they will be rewarded for these attacks - will raise a generation who view terrorism as legitimate behaviour.”
In a recent typical broadcast, a radical cleric used al-Aqsa TV to promote jihad in Europe. He proclaimed in a May 2008 unedited broadcast without opposing views that “Spain – Andalusia – is also the land of Islam. Islamic lands that were occupied by the enemies will once again become Islamic. We will reach beyond these countries. We proclaim that we will conquer Rome, like Constantinople was conquered once, and as it will be conquered again. We will rule the world, as has been said by the Prophet Muhammad. We will face a battlefront that is broader and stronger. Its beginnings were in Palestine, in Iraq, in Afghanistan, and in Chechnya. What has begun will be completed. It will not stop.”
Al-Aqsa TV and al-Manar TV offer live internet streaming of their programmes and are distributed by other internet services, making them available around the world. New EU-wide legislation on combating terrorism, adopted on 28 November, prohibits the “distribution, or otherwise making available, of a message to the public, with the intent to incite terrorism.” This particularly applies to the internet. EFD calls on all European internet service providers to cease their relationships with all terrorist media, including al-Aqsa TV and al-Manar TV.
Al-Manar TV was removed from all European satellites in 2004 and 2005. It is still available in Europe via Arabsat and the Egyptian satellite provider Nilesat. In November 2008, the German Ministry of the Interior outlawed al-Manar TV and declared it to be in violation of the German constitution because its content incites hatred and terrorism. The order prohibits broadcasting al-Manar TV in public such as in mosques and makes it illegal to cooperate with al-Manar TV. Al-Manar TV is already outlawed in France, Spain and the Netherlands.
EFD, a founding member of the Coalition Against Terrorist Media (CATM), has worked with its coalition members, including the American Jewish Committee, to raise awareness of the threats posed by terrorist-controlled and funded media and to ban it in Europe and the Middle East. The Coalition consists of Muslim, Christian, Jewish and secular organizations in Europe, and from around the world who are committed to working with government and the private sector on issues relating to terrorist media.
According to the order, al-Aqsa TV “violates article 15 of the French media law of 30 September 1986 which prohibits all forms of incitement to hatred or violence on the ground of race, religion or nationality”. Al-Aqsa TV has been broadcast into Europe by Atlantic Bird 4, owned by the French satellite provider Eutelsat.
“We commend the French broadcasting authority for implementing European audiovisual law and standing up against inflammatory broadcasts that incite terrorism,” said Roberta Bonazzi, Executive Director of the European Foundation for Democracy.
“Incitement to violence is not protected by free speech and terrorists should not be permitted to hide behind the facade of media and abuse European democracy to promote terrorism. We are confident that Eutelsat will take all necessary measures to comply with the ban,” Bonazzi continued.
Al-Aqsa TV and Hezbollah’s al-Manar TV, after which al-Aqsa is modeled, promote Jihadism and violent ideologies, indoctrinate their audiences with hate, incite terrorism and glorify suicide bombers. They spread viciously anti-Semitic propaganda, and call for attacks against the West.
Al-Aqsa TV continues to be available in Europe via Arabsat, whose largest shareholder is Saudi Arabia. “European governments and citizens should demand that Arabsat drop al-Aqsa TV from its offering,” says Alexander Ritzmann, EFD’s Senior Terrorism Analyst. “Hamas’ al-Aqsa TV and Hezbollah’s al-Manar TV are radicalizing Muslims in Europe. Their broadcasts of children dressed as suicide bombers practicing attacks - instructing them that they will be rewarded for these attacks - will raise a generation who view terrorism as legitimate behaviour.”
In a recent typical broadcast, a radical cleric used al-Aqsa TV to promote jihad in Europe. He proclaimed in a May 2008 unedited broadcast without opposing views that “Spain – Andalusia – is also the land of Islam. Islamic lands that were occupied by the enemies will once again become Islamic. We will reach beyond these countries. We proclaim that we will conquer Rome, like Constantinople was conquered once, and as it will be conquered again. We will rule the world, as has been said by the Prophet Muhammad. We will face a battlefront that is broader and stronger. Its beginnings were in Palestine, in Iraq, in Afghanistan, and in Chechnya. What has begun will be completed. It will not stop.”
Al-Aqsa TV and al-Manar TV offer live internet streaming of their programmes and are distributed by other internet services, making them available around the world. New EU-wide legislation on combating terrorism, adopted on 28 November, prohibits the “distribution, or otherwise making available, of a message to the public, with the intent to incite terrorism.” This particularly applies to the internet. EFD calls on all European internet service providers to cease their relationships with all terrorist media, including al-Aqsa TV and al-Manar TV.
Al-Manar TV was removed from all European satellites in 2004 and 2005. It is still available in Europe via Arabsat and the Egyptian satellite provider Nilesat. In November 2008, the German Ministry of the Interior outlawed al-Manar TV and declared it to be in violation of the German constitution because its content incites hatred and terrorism. The order prohibits broadcasting al-Manar TV in public such as in mosques and makes it illegal to cooperate with al-Manar TV. Al-Manar TV is already outlawed in France, Spain and the Netherlands.
EFD, a founding member of the Coalition Against Terrorist Media (CATM), has worked with its coalition members, including the American Jewish Committee, to raise awareness of the threats posed by terrorist-controlled and funded media and to ban it in Europe and the Middle East. The Coalition consists of Muslim, Christian, Jewish and secular organizations in Europe, and from around the world who are committed to working with government and the private sector on issues relating to terrorist media.
Source: Europe News
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