Excerpted from Deutsche Welle 2.14.2019
The Jewish Museum Berlin has banned Iranian state broadcaster IRIB from filming on its premises, arguing the station spreads anti-Zionist propaganda. The decision has drawn backlash from German press associations.
Nongovernmental organization Reporters Without Borders, however, took a different position, arguing that the Iranian state broadcaster is the mouthpiece of a “government which denies Israel’s right to exist.” That is why the organization respects the museum’s decision, managing director Christian Mihr told DW.
The Jewish Museum Berlin (JMB) is currently showcasing an exhibition titled “Welcome to Jerusalem,” which attracted criticism from Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said it adopts a one-sided Muslim and Palestinian perspective. Netanyahu even demanded the German government cut back its financial support for the museum.
The JMB, however, decided to ban the Iranian broadcaster from filming on its premises. In a statement explaining the decision, the museum said that “the coverage of state-run broadcaster IRIB is clearly anti-Zionist, and has disseminated anti-Israeli and anti-Semitic propaganda.” The JMB expressed concern IRIB will “instrumentalize” the exhibition to further “its own agenda” and capitalize on the “Welcome to Jerusalem” exhibition to produce fake news for Iranian television. The museum added that IRIB has in the past provided a platform for Holocaust deniers “to disseminate false claims which constitute a criminal offense in Germany.”
https://www.dw.com/en/jewish-museum-berlin-bans-iranian-state-broadcaster-irib/a-47509946
