Far-right broadcaster ON switched off over licensing breaches

Culture minister Rianne Letschert has announced her decision to withdraw the broadcasting license of far-right broadcaster Ongehoord Nederland (ON) due to repeated breaches of Dutch broadcasting rules. The move comes after the media regulator asked her to withdraw ON's license, stating that it was the "most serious means at my disposal."

Letschert cited a series of rule violations since ON began airing programs on Dutch public networks in 2022 as the reason for her decision. The breaking point was a panel discussion on ON's YouTube channel in July, featuring a clip from a speech by Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler. While the panelists rejected Hitler's anti-Semitism, they agreed with his assertion that the "cosmopolitan elite" was "essentially hostile" to ordinary people.

ON has faced criticism from the Dutch broadcasting ombudsman and has been fined twice in the past year for breaching conflict of interest rules and its own editorial code. The minister emphasized that the Netherlands is a democratic state that upholds the rule of law, and that ON's repeated failures to follow broadcasting rules necessitated the withdrawal of its license.

The broadcaster will have the opportunity to respond to the minister's proposal before a final decision is made, but will not be taken off the air immediately as it has the right to appeal the decision.