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.
