New York, NY, December 13, 2004 … The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today praised the decision by the Council of State, France's highest administrative court, ordering a French-based company to immediately end satellite broadcasts of Al-Manar, the Lebanon-based television network owned by the terrorist organization Hezbollah.

In its decision, the court recognized the harmful nature of the broadcasts, pronouncing "the programs are clearly militant, with anti-Semitic connotations" and adding that the broadcasts "could have harmful effects on public order."  The court gave the company, Eutelsat, 48 hours to end the broadcasts after finding them in violation of France's laws prohibiting hate speech.

 "This decision is an important demonstration of France's new willingness to recognize incendiary anti-Semitism and to prevent it from being spread within French borders," said Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director.  "We hope that this decision will have an impact on other countries in Europe where Al-Manar is available to the viewing public.  Hopefully it provides a model for how other nations can use the courts and the law to take action to shut down Al-Manar's hate-filled broadcasts on other satellite systems based in Europe."

ADL had written to President Jacques Chirac and France's Ambassador to the U.S., Jean-David Levitte, regarding last month's decision to allow Al-Manar to continue to be broadcast in France.  In its November 22 letter to the French leader, ADL stated that the decision "...undermines the significant progress that the Government of France has made in the last year to combat the anti-Jewish and incendiary anti-Israel environment that exists in some sectors of French society."

The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913, is the world's leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry.