Europe’s Silence on Houthi Broadcasts Is a Moral Failure
Moammar Al-Eryani, Yemen’s minister of information, culture, and tourism, accuses Europe of betraying its values by letting Iran-backed Houthi propaganda beam freely into millions of homes. Writing in The Media Line, Al-Eryani says that while European leaders preach about countering extremism, their own satellites are broadcasting hate speech from Al-Masirah TV and other Houthi-run outlets. These networks, he argues, glorify violence, teach children to chant for death, and spread sectarian hatred far beyond Yemen’s borders.
The op-ed claims that the Houthi movement, supported by Iran, seized Yemen’s state television channels and now uses them to legitimize its control. By keeping these hijacked networks on the air through the European satellite operator Eutelsat, Al-Eryani says Europe is “violating basic principles of international law” and helping sustain a psychological weapon designed to indoctrinate a generation.
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Al-Eryani faults not only Eutelsat but also ARCOM, France’s audiovisual regulator, accusing both of hiding behind “technicalities and excuses.” He urges France to act decisively—revoking broadcast licenses, enforcing laws against incitement, and shutting down any contracts that give airspace to terrorist propaganda. He calls the issue not just a Yemeni concern but a European moral test.
In his closing appeal, Al-Eryani warns that Europe’s silence makes it complicit in the spread of extremist ideology. The longer these broadcasts continue, he argues, the deeper the damage to Yemen’s social fabric—and to Europe’s credibility. Read the full opinion piece for his case that looking away isn’t neutrality; it’s moral surrender.
