By Jerusalem Post

Following Eutelsat's barring of 19 Iranian channels, Iranian news site blames "worldwide" Zionist conspiracy for the move.

Iranian news channel Press TV has hit back at Europe�s top satellite service Eutelsat on Tuesday for barring 19 Iranian state-controlled television and radio channels from broadcasting in Europe, blaming Zionist conspiracy and a "Mossad thug" for the move.

The state-owned Press TV criticized the ban, stating on its website: "The choice, we are told, is one of a company, Eutelsat Communications. It claims that Iran, 19 news and information sources, some clearly among the best, most dependable and trustworthy in the world, will be silenced."

Blaming a "very real worldwide conspiracy," Press TV accused Eutelsat of saying "Eutelsat is a person, not a company. Eutelsat says it is European, but it is actually Israeli."

The report continued: "When Eutelsat chose to choke off Iran and end free speech in Europe, many spoke up but none pointed a finger at Israel and their desire to paint Iran with a black brush."

According to a spokeswoman from Eutelsat, the measures �reinforced EU Council sanctions.�

However, Press TV denied this link, stating: "First of all, the reason given, that Eutelsat is following sanctions is a lie. There are no sanctions against Press TV or other news sources, no UN vote supports it and I would like to see the issue taken before the General Assembly."

Critics have long argued that Iran�s state-run Press TV and the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (Irib) are plagued by hatred of the West and contain anti-Semitic broadcasts denigrating Israel, Jews and Zionism.

After the Eutelsat severs service with the Iranian media outlets, viewers can still see the English-language news service, Press TV, and Arabic-language Al-Alam on the Internet.

Press TV wrote on its website on Monday, that it �has launched a Facebook petition to save the news channel across Europe after European satellite provider Eutelsat SA stopped the broadcast of several Iranian satellite channels on the order of the European Commission.�

Press TV termed Eutelsat�s decision to be �illegal.�

In July, Press TV published a report titled: �The Rape of Greece by Jewish Bankers.�

Press TV later changed its headline to �The rape of Greece by Zionist bankers.�

The story blamed Greece�s economic woes on the �Jewish mafia.�

The Coordination Forum for Countering Antisemitism wrote of an �Antisemitic Press TV headline.�

Dr. Wahied Wahdat-Hagh, a German-Iranian expert, documented the Holocaust denial and anti-Semitism on the German language Irib station. He has long argued for a ban of Irib and other Iranian outlets in Germany.

According to Wahdat-Hagh, Irib has featured the British historian David Irving as �bring[ing] the hypocrisy of the Zionist allegations to light.� Wahdat-Hagh wrote, �IRIB defends in the same article the Holocaust denier Irving.�

 

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