LONDON: British rap duo Bob Vylan are suing Ireland’s national broadcaster, RTE, for defamation over its reporting of their chants from the stage at the Glastonbury Festival in opposition to the actions of the Israeli military during the war in Gaza.
Following the group’s performance in June, RTE News reported that lead singer Pascal Robinson-Foster had led antisemitic chanting.
“These allegations are categorically denied by our clients and are entirely untrue,” Phoenix Law Solicitors, acting for the group, said on Tuesday. The firm confirmed that legal proceedings had been launched at the High Court in Dublin on Monday on behalf of Robinson-Foster and drummer Wade Laurence George.
During the performance, Robinson-Foster led chants of “Death, death, to the IDF,” a reference to the Israel Defense Forces, and “Free, free, Palestine.”
The performance sparked an outcry in the UK, including accusations that the group were guilty of hate speech, as well as criticism of the BBC for allowing the chants to go out on a live stream.
The group maintain that their actions were not antisemitic but merely a show of support for Palestinians suffering in Gaza.
“At their Glastonbury performance, Bob Vylan made statements expressing support for Palestinian self-determination and criticizing military actions by the Israel Defence Forces,” Phoenix Law Solicitors said.
“At no point did their comments target Jewish people or express hatred towards any group.
“In fact, our client has stated: ‘We are not for the death of Jews, Arabs or any other race or group of people.’ The comments made were politically charged but not antisemitic in nature.”
The group had requested an apology and retraction from RTE, the law firm added, but the broadcaster “failed to address the harm caused.” The aim of the legal proceedings is to “seek redress for the significant reputational and emotional damage suffered by our clients.”
Since the start of the war in Gaza in 2023, following the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel led by Hamas, the Israeli government and its supporters have increasingly accused those critical of the state’s actions during the conflict of antisemitism.
More than 70,000 Palestinians have been killed during the war, according to health officials in Gaza, and Israel’s actions been widely condemned by human rights groups, academics and many governments as amounting to genocide.
Bob Vylan’s festival performance took place at a time when scores of Palestinians were being killed each day, including many gunned down as they tried to obtain food from humanitarian aid hubs.
“Our clients are no stranger to utilizing their freedom of expression to speak out against the genocide in Gaza,” said Darragh Mackin, a Phoenix Law solicitor.
“There is however a fundamental distinction between speaking critically about the role of the Israeli state forces, and being antisemitic.”
RTE has said it does not comment on legal proceedings.
After the Glastonbury performance, Bob Vylan faced a backlash in the UK and abroad. Organizers of several music festivals canceled scheduled performances by the group, and US authorities revoked their visas. Robinson-Foster was interviewed by police last month but has not been charged with any crime.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the incident as “appalling hate speech.” The BBC issued an apology for broadcasting the performance, saying it regretted not taking dawn the live stream.
During a podcast appearance in October, Robinson-Foster defended his actions and said the criticism his group had faced was “minimal compared to what people in Palestine are going through.”
