Qataris cancel TV network subscription after al-Jazeera block

Qataris and expatriates are cancelling their subscriptions to OSN after the Saudi-owned TV network blocked the Doha-based al-Jazeera channel.

It comes after the hacking of Qatar's state news agency, which saw controversial fake remarks attributed to the Qatar's Emir Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani published on the site leading to a media war with UAE and Saudi broadcasters.

A four-hour cyber attack on Qatar's state news agency after midnight on Tuesday caused ripples across the Middle East because of the content of the fake statement attributed to Thani.

These included remarks on "tensions" with the US administration, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and relations with Iran.

Doha quickly issued a robust denial, saying that the remarks were never made and that the news agency had been compromised.

However, media outlets in Saudi Arabia and the UAE ignored the denial and continued to spread the fake news as genuine.

In addition, Qatar-based media websites and phone applications, including al-Jazeera, were blocked in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt.

Qatari viewers and social media users responded by launching the Arabic-language hashtag "I cancelled my OSN subscription" to condemn the media campaign against their country.

Translation: It is a national and ethical duty to cancel your subscription to this network.

Translation: It is your national duty to boycott those who insult Qatar or help our enemies.

One user even posted a picture of his OSN receiver after breaking it into pieces.

Another user posted a video of himself throwing his OSN receiver into the swimming pool.