ON! pulls program offline after complaints about Hitler speech segment

The Dutch broadcaster Ongehoord Nederland (ON!) has removed a program from its online platform following public outrage over a segment featuring a speech by Adolf Hitler. The controversy began after members of parliament urged Culture Minister Rianne Letschert to remove the broadcaster from the public system. During the program, commentators Raisa Blommestijn and Joost Niemöller discussed a clip of Hitler speaking about a globalist elite, a term frequently used in antisemitic conspiracy theories. The commentators remarked that the dictator was occasionally correct, which triggered widespread criticism and twenty formal complaints to the ombudsman regarding adherence to journalistic codes.

In response to the backlash, ON! issued a statement acknowledging that the content was inappropriate and did not align with their broadcasting standards. While the broadcaster initially defended the segment's context, they eventually pulled the entire series offline. Minister Letschert is currently exploring legal avenues to address the broadcaster's conduct, while the Media Authority emphasized that promoting Hitler's ideology is unacceptable. ON! remains under heightened supervision due to previous violations of journalistic standards.