French council moves against al-Manar
Posted: Wed Dec 08, 2004 9:50 am
Wednesday 08 December 2004, 12:29 Makka Time, 9:29 GMT
Aljazeera.Net
French media authorities have launched a procedure against Lebanese television channel Al-Manar that could lead to sanctions against the broadcaster.
France's Higher Audiovisual Council (CSA) had on 30 November issued a warning to the channel calling for it to "respect its legal and conventional obligations," and decided to act further at a plenary meeting on Tuesday, the body announced in a statement.
The CSA addressed a letter to the president of the Lebanese Communication Group, which controls Al-Manar, quoting remarks broadcast by the station last Thursday which said Israel had exported Aids to the Middle East.
The comments were described as "liable to constitute incitement to hatred or violence" by the CSA.
The media body will hear representatives of Al-Manar in a plenary session on 17 December, it said, as part of the procedure that could eventually lead to it being taken off the air.
Al-Manar had received a conditional green light from the CSA to begin broadcasting in France by satellite on 19 November.
On 23 November, monitors recorded an "expert on affairs relative to the Zionist entity" who in a press review spoke of "Zionist attempts to transmit dangerous diseases like Aids via exports to Arab states".
French PM Raffarin had called for al-Manar to be taken off the air
French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin last Thursday called for the channel to be taken off the air because its programmes were "incompatible with our values."
Al-Manar in turn alleged "Zionist" attempts to stir up problems for France in the Muslim world, accusing Israel of mounting an "unprecedented campaign" to prevent it from broadcasting in Europe, to keep it "from revealing to European viewers, to foreign residents in Europe, the reality of the situation, the crimes against humanity perpetrated by Israel, both in occupied Palestine and across the world".
Aljazeera.Net
French media authorities have launched a procedure against Lebanese television channel Al-Manar that could lead to sanctions against the broadcaster.
France's Higher Audiovisual Council (CSA) had on 30 November issued a warning to the channel calling for it to "respect its legal and conventional obligations," and decided to act further at a plenary meeting on Tuesday, the body announced in a statement.
The CSA addressed a letter to the president of the Lebanese Communication Group, which controls Al-Manar, quoting remarks broadcast by the station last Thursday which said Israel had exported Aids to the Middle East.
The comments were described as "liable to constitute incitement to hatred or violence" by the CSA.
The media body will hear representatives of Al-Manar in a plenary session on 17 December, it said, as part of the procedure that could eventually lead to it being taken off the air.
Al-Manar had received a conditional green light from the CSA to begin broadcasting in France by satellite on 19 November.
On 23 November, monitors recorded an "expert on affairs relative to the Zionist entity" who in a press review spoke of "Zionist attempts to transmit dangerous diseases like Aids via exports to Arab states".
French PM Raffarin had called for al-Manar to be taken off the air
French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin last Thursday called for the channel to be taken off the air because its programmes were "incompatible with our values."
Al-Manar in turn alleged "Zionist" attempts to stir up problems for France in the Muslim world, accusing Israel of mounting an "unprecedented campaign" to prevent it from broadcasting in Europe, to keep it "from revealing to European viewers, to foreign residents in Europe, the reality of the situation, the crimes against humanity perpetrated by Israel, both in occupied Palestine and across the world".