EFD Sends Letter to France’s High Audiovisual Council (CSA)

Brussels, 29 March 2010 -- The European Foundation for Democracy (EFD) and the Coalition Against Terrorist Media (CATM) call on France’s audiovisual authority to immediately enforce French and European law against Eutelsat for broadcasting Al-Aqsa TV. In a letter sent to Mr Michel Boyon, Chairman of the High Audiovisual Council or Conseil supérieur de l'audiovisuel (CSA), EFD noted that Eutelsat has failed to comply with the formal warning of 3 November 2009 and continues to broadcast Al-Aqsa TV with impunity.

The letter said: “There can be no doubt about Al-Aqsa TV’s goals and editorial line: as the CSA similarly noted in its decision of 3 November 2009, Al-Aqsa TV’s programmes are broadcasted in the framework of “a militant perspective with anti-Semitic connotations” and are therefore violating French and European law which prohibit any form of incitement to violence or hatred.”

The letter continued, “In light of Al-Aqsa TV’s case history and the Al-Manar TV and Sahar 1 TV precedents which featured similar violations, EFD considers ceasing the broadcast of Al-Aqsa TV on Eutelsat as the only effective way to prevent the channel from committing further violations. Al-Aqsa TV has repeatedly demonstrated a complete lack of goodwill and disregard for the warnings that have been issued by the CSA. Al-Aqsa TV has clearly no intention of respecting French audiovisual law.“

Al-Aqsa TV is the television channel of Hamas, which is on the European Union’s list of terrorist organisations. On 18 March 2010, the United States Treasury Department designated Al-Aqsa TV as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist entity (SDGT), noting that Al-Aqsa TV airs programmes and music videos “designed to recruit children to become Hamas armed fighters and suicide bombers upon reaching adulthood.”

Al-Aqsa TV broadcasts throughout Europe on Eutelsat’s Atlantic Bird 4A satellite. Eutelsat is Europe’s leading satellite operator and one of the world’s top three providers.

“Despite the formal warning to Eutelsat by the CSA, Al-Aqsa TV continues to broadcast on Eutelsat’s satellite,” said Roberta Bonazzi, Executive Director of the European Foundation for Democracy. “EFD holds free speech as among the highest values. However, French and European legislation prohibits incitement to hatred and violence and terrorist organisations should not be permitted to abuse Europe’s freedom of expression principles to promote terrorism.” she continued.

The letter concluded: “It is the CSA’s role and duty under the law to ensure that TV programmes do not violate human dignity and contain incitement to violence and hatred. A lack of decisive action against Al-Aqsa TV’s blatant and continuous violations of French and European law would undermine the credibility of CSA’s past efforts to deal with terrorist-controlled media and, most importantly, would allow an unacceptable and unlawful situation to be perpetuated by a silent laissez-faire.”

The European Foundation for Democracy (EFD) is a Brussels-based policy institute dedicated to defending democratic values, promoting freedom and human rights, and countering the ideologies of terrorism. A founding member of the Coalition Against Terrorist Media (CATM), it works with its coalition members in Europe, the Middle East and North America to raise awareness of the threats posed by terrorist-controlled and funded media.

European Foundation for Democracy (EFD)
Square de Meeus 37
1000 Brussels
www.europeandemocracy.org
info@europeandemocracy.org

Press contact:
Daniel Trautvetter
+32 495 475974
Daniel@EuropeanDemocracy.org

This release was published on openPR.