ELSC demands corrections from eight Dutch media after spreading Zionist lies on Palestinian student in Maastricht 

The European Legal Support Center (ELSC) has submitted correction requests to eight Dutch media after they spread lies in a disinformation campaign instigated by pro-genocide Zionist lobby groups and individuals against a Palestinian student who had fled the genocide in Gaza. The media outlets who have received such request are Algemeen Dagblad, De Telegraaf, Hart van Nederland, Nieuws van de Dag, NOS, Nu.nl, RTL Nieuws, and Trouw. Although the NOS has already backtracked their original publication to some extent, no official correction has been published. 

Hussein, a student at Maastricht University, filmed himself watching an Al Jazeera documentary about Hamas’s operation against the Israeli colonial occupation on 7 October 2023. In the video, he says “tasheshni” in Arabic, but Zionists spread the lie that he says “this is me” while Hamas fighters are on screen. The eight media outlets mentioned, without any journalistic due process, spread that disinformation. For Hussein, this led to suspension from his university, death threats, forced relocation, and a police investigation. 

This case shows that a Zionist lobby group such as CIDI is time and again cited as a ‘reliable’ source by Dutch media – and not only by the Zionist propaganda newspaper De Telegraaf, but also by newspaper Trouw, which claims to practise quality journalism. The case can be seen as part of the larger machine that manufactures consent for genocide and, in turn, for racist political agendas and bills. 

Should the rectification requests not be met, the ELSC will take further action. 

Simultaneously, the ELSC supports Hussein in his legal proceedings with Maastricht University.