EU moves against Hezbollah-linked Al-Manar TV channel

The European Union (EU) has decided to bar the Lebanon-based television channel Al-Manar, which is linked to the Islamist fundamentalist movement Hezbollah, from being broadcast in Europe via satellite. On Thursday, EU broadcasting regulators agreed that Al-Manar should not be able to broadcast its signal on European satellite systems. The network has repeatedly aired controversial programs, including one that accused “Zionists” of spreading AIDS throughout the Arab world. At the meeting, the regulators agreed more generally to intensify action against television broadcasts that incite hatred and racism. Recently, French authorities decided to remove Al-Manar from the Eutelsat platform, which broadcasts EU-wide but whose holding company is based in France and thus governed by French law. The Dutch regulator announced a similar move earlier this week concerning the Dutch satellite company New Skies.