Netherlands

[NL] Satellite Broadcasts Disseminating Hatred Blocked

IRIS 2006-3:1/30

Rosa Hamming

Institute for Information Law (IViR), University of Amsterdam

On 26 January 2006, the Minister of Justice announced to the Dutch Parliament that all broadcasts emanating from the Lebanese channel Al Manar and of the Iraqi Sahar TV1 will be blocked. A spokesman for the Nationaal Coördinator Terrorismebestrijding (National Coordinator on the Fight against Terrorism) confirmed a study conducted on the matter warrants this decision as it would seem these channels disseminate hate speech.

The Commissariaat voor de Media (Dutch Media Authority) also listed Islamic satellite broadcasts that can be received in the Netherlands and concluded that there are serious doubts as to some channels which originate in Syria, Libya and Sudan. These suspicions are mainly based on the reputation of the regimes in those countries and the fact that the channels are under direct Governmental supervision.

The Iranian Al Alam and the Saudi Art Iqraa channels are still available in the Netherlands although they are presumably also encouraging hate speech. These channels are under French supervision in the European Union and France, being in control of the Hotbird-satellite which broadcasts the signal, could prevent their distribution. The Dutch Media Authority is intent on maintaining contact with the French organisation that is responsible for the supervision of these channels.

Although the satellite broadcasting of Al Manar and Sahar TV1 is now blocked, these, as well as other programmes, are still available on the internet. This undermines the recently announced measures and the Minister acknowledges that this problem calls for an approach at EU-level.