The punk-rap group Bob Vylan have issued defamation proceedings against RTÉ over its reporting of the duo’s performance at the Glastonbury music festival this summer.
Bob Vylan courted controversy this summer when, during a performance at Glastonbury, they led chants of “death, death to the IDF”, a reference to the Israel Defense Forces and the war in Gaza.
Band members Pascal Robinson-Foster and Wade Laurence George allege that an RTÉ report on the performance stated that the lead singer of band led “anti-Semitic chants”.
They say the reporting is categorically untrue, and are now seeking damages to compensate for injury to their reputation they say arises from the reporting.
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Belfast legal firm Phoenix Law, which is representing both men, on Monday filed two sets of defamation proceedings at the High Court.
In a statement, the firm said: “Our clients are no stranger to utilising their freedom of expression to speak out against the genocide in Gaza. There is however a fundamental distinction between speaking critically about the role of the Israeli state forces, and being anti-Semitic.
“The former is speech within the confines of political expression, whereas the latter is a form of hatred directed towards Jewish people,” it said.
“At no stage have our clients ever engaged in conduct that is remotely anti-Semitic and to that end, have had no option but to seek the formal correction of same via the remedies available within this litigation,” it added.
A spokeswoman for RTÉ said: “RTÉ does not comment on legal matters.”
