On Tuesday Open Europe posted on its blog and YouTube account a video of GeenStijl reporter @TomStaal being pushed about and slapped by MEPs after he confronts them for allegedly 'signing on and sodding off,' or for collecting a €300 daily allowance from the European Parliament without actually doing any work.
The video since went viral, getting thousands of views in only a few hours. But this morning, we were surprised to discover that the video had been blocked and removed. Reason? Copyright infringement claim.
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| Screenshot of our 'Sign In Sod off' video being blocked on YouTube for copyright reasons by R.T.I. |
But the story gets stranger. It’s not GeenStijl that’s behind the removal – quite the contrary, in fact – Geenstijl wants maximum exposure. Instead it's Italian mass media company R.T.I.
Tom Staal has confirmed to us that Geenstijl has absolutely no affiliation with R.T.I, and that they have no idea why their video is being blocked – and Staal isn’t happy.
So what in the world is going on here? Well, we’re baffled, and plead for help from any savvy readers informed about copyright issues. But here’s a theory. R.T.I’s chief executive is Silvio Berlusconi's son, Pier Silvio.
The R.T.I copyright claim happens at the precise moment where the face of Italian MEP Raffaele Baldassarre appears. And it also happens happens that Baldassarre is a member of Silvio Berlusconi's 'Il Popolo della Libertà' party.
Geenstijl has responded on its blog and it's not mincing its words:
Just precisely what is going on we don’t know...but that ***** of a Silvio Berlusconi has apparently succeeded in removing Tom Staal's report from Brussels from YouTube...Uploaders which have submitted a copy of the video on their channel are all suffering from bizarre vague copyright claims. There are even copies circulating where only the scene of the aggressive Raffaele Baldassarre is being blocked. That’s all very coincidental. Hey Silvio Berlusconi, stay clear off our internet! A very big vaffanculo!
Coincidence? You decide.
Update 18.45: Tom Staal tells us that Martin Schulz, European Parliament President, may be launching an investigation against him and Daniel van der Stoep (@Dvanderstoep), the Dutch MEP who took him into the EP.
Update 19.50: From @BrunoBrussels :
'I'm not aware of investigation' into @tomstaal says @MartinSchulz who defends rights of camera crews to film in EPUpdate 10.00 (1 July): We contested R.T.I's copyright claim to the 'sign in, sod off' video on our YouTube account, on the basis that it is owned by Geenstijl who gave us permission to use it. The block on the video was subsequently removed.
— Bruno Waterfield (@BrunoBrussels) June 27, 2013
Update 14.00 (1 July): Geenstijl has formally written to Martin Schulz, President of the European Parliament to complain about the behaviour of the MEPs in question.
Not only this, but it will remain unmentioned on MSM outlets all over Europe. The European Soviet State is here, and every member of the EU is cooperating. The original soviet empire ended in riots how long before we get our version?
ReplyDeleteThey simply donot get it. This creates more media attention iso less.
ReplyDeleteSame with Schultz (similar to Farage's 'damp rag'). Everybody would have forgotten it in a few weeks time. But now there is a hearing and likely a penalty (or an acquittal) and every time the things comes up again.
And every time people will think:
-But van Rompuy has no charisma; or
-The Italian guy is dodgy and makes a fool out of himself.
So the good news is this will be continued.
@Ray
These are mean SOBs. They will find ways to bring it up especially in Holland (one of the weak EU fronts) and even more now.
And expect Wilders to ask questions in parliament (with coverage).
Same with Cheney on the NSA leak. He simply confirms to most people that are shocked by the revelations that it stinks at the side he wants to protect.
Cheney is not a credible source for alot of people. The other way around a lot of these people think that he stinks. Same as Blair on UKip, nearly all potential IP voters think Blair sucks whatever he says.
Anyway people forget that the media landscape has changed. Geen Style has a very popular blog/site.
And the way people get their news has changed. Much more via the net and from websites like 'Geen Style'. Bit like Guido Fawkes, but much flatter and harder and with more simple humour.
And unlike before also from media from the other side. Say the Guardian site is probably visited by 1/4 or 1/3 (wet finger estimate) not standard Guardian readers (and the other way around as well, with say the DT).
Newspapers, next to the decreasing quality of their reporting and the alternatives available, need to change with that. And not only their businesmodel.
If they want to be effective communicators and influence public opinion, they have to use other strategies than before. Before only people from the same political parts of society read a certain newspaper and few other sources.
Alternative sources are likely used by several 10s % of the population now. Basically it does what populist parties do for politics.
Back to the Guardian example. I would not be surprised if an anti-UKip article on the web (and nearly all do) would be better PR for the UKip than for its political enemies (eh competition on the left (aka Labour).
It tells the standard Guardian reader the UKip is crap (well he thought that already and was voting that way as well).
While UKip potentials will be confirmed in their view that MSM and traditional political parties (even worse when both are from the left) are out to do him harm and are totally selfish on top of that. And this is largely a group that are not standard voters (often these are traditional not-voters). So more new potential voters of which also a lot would be more inclined to vote.
Also political parties or the EU who think they can get an idea about popular opinion from main stream media will have to change in this respect. If the MSM are say EU positive it still can be that almost half the population is anti-EU. The situation in Holland at the moment and likely France.
Traditional politics and MSM are losing the binding with their voters/readers (in a nutshell). And have not really an answer to that.
Van der Stoep has earlier asked questions about Schultz declaring (apparently) 700 000 Euro in one year and asked for a break down of it. And was called a fascist by him as a response.
ReplyDeleteSource Wikipedia (Dutch version, English one has hardly info).
Looks like that UK MPs have clearly found their master. Looks like the English papers have to move their field of attention to Brussels. Damm expensive these important but oso necessary lunches in 'Comme Chez Soi'.
If censorship is happening with this story, can you imagine what the EU will do when we finally get our EU Referendum?
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone trust the EU to let us have a FAIR Referendum?
SC
This just goes to confirm, if any more evidence were really needed, that everything about the European Union & its toy parliament is totally evil!
ReplyDeleteMore proof if any were needed that fascism is alive and thriving in the corrupt and fraudulent EU.
ReplyDeleteThis fraudulent behaviour have been in pratice for many many years apparently.
ReplyDeleteHere is another video about MEPs stealing money from 2008
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NP81hCVTzJE
The politicians in charge of EU are nothing but criminals!