Unheard Netherlands
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Unheard Netherlands! (Dutch: Ongehoord Nederland) is a nominally apolitical alt-center broadcaster and political activism group in the Netherlands. It was founded in late 2019, and it had 45k members as of December 2019.[1] The organisation's stated aim focuses on giving a voice to the "unheard" but in reality like most platforms of "free speech" is simply a platform for thinly veiled Islamophobia, racism, sexism, and promotion of explicitly alt-right views, and adjacent views including holocaust denial.
The group started an aggressive membership campaign in late 2019 with the aim of campaigning to become an official broadcaster in the Netherlands. However, they almost immediately came under criticism for a membership signup process that allowed people to sign up with fake details and even to make a 1 cent payment instead of the 5 euros membership fee.[2]
The group was not helped by co-founder Haye van der Heyden
making public statements that Holocaust denial should be allowed on the platform,[3][4][5][6] a position which he later refused to back down from. Although refusing to retract his views, he did claim later that his personal views as co-founder did not represent the broadcaster itself.[7]
The broadcasting group is backed by the main Dutch nationalist right-wing populist parties, including the Forum for Democracy (FvD), Party for Freedom (PVV) and Ybeltje Berckmoes; a retired politician who was a member of the center-right liberal party People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD). The group has also been endorsed by far-right Dutch politicians, including the noted Islamophobe Geert Wilders, and Thierry Baudet, who believes that cultural marxism is threatening Dutch society.[8][9]
Premise[edit]
“”Unheard Netherlands! is the new public broadcaster that gives a voice to the Dutch who are not being heard now. The people that Hilversum
barely sees. Respect and attention for Dutch culture, its history, norms and values and its freedoms, which until recently were taken for granted, form the basis for the content of ON's [Unheard Netherlands] programs!
What does this mean in practice? With freedom of speech and unheard of journalistic and entertainment programs, ON! involve the Dutch population more directly in decisions and debates from which they are currently de-facto excluded. The broadcaster wants to bring news and opinion without bias that currently has no chance of being shown by the Public Broadcaster. And wants to offer entertainment that is separate from the straitjacket of political correctness, which now largely dominates the content of the current public order. Openness, guts, freedom and humor are the key concepts that form the foundation of the programming of Unheard Netherlands! A new broadcaster, a free sound! |
| —Unheard Netherlands Mission Statement. (translated from the original Dutch)[1] |
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 ongehoordnederland.nl (archive snapshot.)
- ↑ Jelmer Vissar, December 2, 2019: Membership of Unheard Netherlands costs 1 cent due to website blunder.
- ↑ Haye van der Heyden stapt uit omroep Ongehoord Nederland na uitspraak over Holocaust, ad.nl, 4 december 2019
- ↑ Haye van der Heyden uit Ongehoord Nederland na Holocaust-uitspraak, parool.nl, 4 december 2019
- ↑ Mede-initiatiefnemer Ongehoord Nederland vertrekt na kritiek op interview, nu.nl, 4 december 2019
- ↑ Haye van der Heyden ligt eruit bij PVV-omroep ON, mediacourant.nl, 4 december 2019
- ↑ The Post Online; December 02, 2019 : Unheard of the Netherlands founder Haye van der Heyden insists: Holocaust denial must be possible
- ↑ De Gelderlander; Gudo Tienhooven, November 25, 2019 : Oprichters Ongehoord Nederland: Wij worden eerste Peter R. de Vries-vrije omroep
- ↑ NOS; November 25, 2019 : Thierry Baudet and Geert Wilders support Unheard of the Netherlands