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The Independent
2 days ago
- General
- The Independent
What Gerry Adams said during seven days of evidence in BBC defamation trial
For seven days, Gerry Adams took his place in the witness box in the tiny Court 24, just a few feet from where lawyers and journalists crammed on to the narrow wooden benches. The jury at Dublin High Court heard hours of evidence from the former Sinn Fein leader. His testimony was wide-ranging, including a lengthy account of his early years and political awakenings. At times he became emotional as he recalled past events. Mr Adams' arrival at the Four Courts caused a stir each morning. The posse of media cameras was always there to meet him and he was greeted by the occasional well-wisher at the gates of the court. However, inside there were fewer pleasantries as the 67-year-old faced days of tense questioning by a barrister for the BBC, probing the senior republican's recollection around a series of IRA atrocities. The marathon evidence session began on the afternoon of the first day of the defamation case as the former MP and TD was invited by his own barrister, Declan Doyle SC, to tell the jury about his upbringing during a time of turmoil on the streets of Belfast. Trial judge Mr Justice Alexander Owens indulged the reminiscences to an extent before gently urging Mr Doyle to quicken his pace of questioning. Describing political and civil developments in the 1970s and 1980s, Mr Adams said: 'I do think the IRA was a legitimate response to what was happening at the time.' Soon attention turned to the Spotlight programme that led Mr Adams to sue the BBC over allegation that he sanctioned the 2006 murder of Denis Donaldson, a Sinn Fein official who had been exposed as a spy. Mr Adams told the court he remembered watching the programme and being 'astonished' at what he called 'an attempted hatchet job' and 'bad, poor journalism'. He described the BBC response when he attempted to raise a complaint as arrogant and insulting. He said: 'This is a public broadcaster. The public pay for all of this. 'They just dismissed it (the complaint), it was offensive, it was insulting and it is what has all of us here today.' The tone of questioning changed dramatically at the end of the first week of the trial when Paul Gallagher SC, acting for the BBC, began his cross-examination of the former Sinn Fein president. The courtroom was packed as Ireland's former attorney general rose to commence the questioning. His direction became clear at once when Mr Gallagher asked Mr Adams how many people had been killed in the Troubles and how many were victims of the IRA. 'A lot – what has this got to do with the Spotlight programme?' Mr Adams responded. The barrister listed some of the most infamous episodes of Northern Ireland's past – Bloody Friday, the Claudy bombings, La Mon – and asked Mr Adams how many victims were killed in each. Mr Adams responded that it was not fair to ask him to remember every death that occurred, adding: 'You're trivialising those deaths, if you don't mind me saying so.' As the line of questioning continued into the second week of the trial, Mr Adams complained that an attempt was being made to 'smother' the jury in history. He repeatedly said he would not speculate when asked about members, structures or rules of the IRA. 'What on earth has this got to do with Denis Donaldson?' Mr Adams asked on several occasions as the cross-examination went on. Under questioning, the former Sinn Fein leader said: 'I have never resiled from my view that the IRA's campaign, whatever about elements of it, was a legitimate response to military occupation.' He told the jury that IRA membership 'wasn't a path that I took', saying he instead joined Sinn Fein, adding that the republican party 'was not the political wing of any organisation'. He conceded that claims about about him being a member of the Army Council of the IRA had been raised multiple times in public. He said he had repeatedly received legal advice that he would 'not get any sort of a fair hearing' to challenge various claims made about him in the press. At one point Mr Adams turned the questioning on Mr Gallagher: 'Why are you trying to persuade the jury I have no reputation whatsoever?' Mr Adams said the Spotlight programme suggested his work to end violence in Northern Ireland 'was a scam' and he considered this to be a 'lie' and 'grievous smear'. On his final day of questioning, it was put to Mr Adams that he had carried the coffins of prominent IRA members during their funerals. He replied: 'You're trying to persuade this jury I had no reputation whatsoever because I attended funerals? 'And therefore Spotlight could say whatever they want about me and I would have no redress?' Asked by the judge for his reflections on the IRA's campaign of violence, Mr Adams added: 'My big regret is that so many people were killed and particularly civilians. 'My abiding regret is that it took so long to get a peace process together.' The questioning concluded. The jury had heard Mr Adams' legal team describe his reputation as that of a peacemaker. The BBC barristers argued that it was 'universally held' that he had a reputation of being in the IRA and on its Army Council. The former Sinn Fein president's barrister Tom Hogan SC summed up the paradox when he said: 'To some he is a hero, to some he is not.'
Irish Times
3 days ago
- General
- Irish Times
Jury in Gerry Adams defamation case against the BBC begins deliberations
The jury in Gerry Adams 's defamation action against the BBC at the High Court in Dublin has started its deliberations. Mr Justice Alexander Owens finished summarising the evidence for the seven men and five women of the jury on Wednesday evening. He previously told them at least nine of them must be in agreement in deciding the case. The former Sinn Féin leader claims a BBC Spotlight programme and a related article published in 2016 defamed him by falsely accusing him of sanctioning the killing of British agent Denis Donaldson at a cottage in Glenties, Co Donegal , in 2006. He described the allegation as a 'grievous smear'. READ MORE He insists he had no involvement in Mr Donaldson's death. Dissident republicans claimed responsibility for the killing in 2009. The BBC denies it defamed Mr Adams. On Wednesday, Mr Justice Owens said the jury must decide whether the words complained of by Mr Adams in the programme and article say he 'gave the okay for', or sanctioned, the murder of Mr Donaldson. The BBC claims the words did not defame Mr Adams. It is the broadcaster's defence that the statements were couched as allegations . The judge said the jury should decide this question based on how a 'reasonable viewer' would interpret the words. If the jury finds that the words mean Mr Adams sanctioned the murder, they must then consider the BBC's defence of fair and reasonable publication. The onus of proof in this defence is on the BBC, the judge said. Finally, if it rejects this defence, the jury must consider the amount of damages to award Mr Adams as compensation for damage done to his reputation. Mr Adams's lawyers have argued he has the reputation of a 'peacemaker' and of helping to end violence in Northern Ireland. The BBC has argued Mr Adams's case is a 'cynical attempt' to 'launder' a reputation for being in the Provisional IRA and sitting on its decision-making body, known as the army council. The judge noted that a person's reputation can change over time. He said the jury should evaluate Mr Adams's reputation from 2016 – the time of the broadcast – to now, if it awards damages. He previously told the jury members they should only consider Mr Adams's reputation in the Republic of Ireland . He said the jury were not being asked what they think about Mr Adams or whether they approve of him. 'You decide what the evidence is in relation to his reputation,' the judge said.
BreakingNews.ie
23-05-2025
- Politics
- BreakingNews.ie
Jury in Gerry Adams defamation case expected to begin deliberations next week
The jury in Gerry Adams's High Court defamation action against the BBC is expected to begin deliberations next week. Mr Justice Alexander Owens told the jury of seven men and five women that at least nine of them must be in agreement in coming to a decision in the case. Advertisement The former Sinn Féin leader claims a BBC Spotlight programme and a related article published in 2016 defamed him by falsely accusing him of sanctioning British agent Denis Donaldson's killing at a cottage in Glenties, Co Donegal, in 2006. He described the allegation as a 'grievous smear'. The BBC denies it defamed Mr Adams, who insists he had no involvement in Mr Donaldson's death, for which dissident republicans claimed responsibility for in 2009. On Friday, Mr Justice Owens addressed the jury on the key questions they are to consider when coming to a verdict in the case, and summarised part of the evidence heard over the course of four weeks of the trial. Advertisement The judge said the onus was on Mr Adams's side to prove that the statements complained of in the broadcast and article were defamatory, that they mean he sanctioned the killing of Mr Donaldson. The BBC says the statements did not defame Mr Adams. It is the broadcaster's case that the statements were couched as allegations, and should be considered in the context of the wider broadcast and article. The judge said it was the jury's role to decide what the words complained of mean to a reasonable member of society. If the jury find the statements mean what Mr Adams says they do, then they must consider the BBC's defence of fair and reasonable publication in the public interest. Advertisement The onus of proof in this defence is on the BBC, the judge said. Mr Justice Owens told the jury they'd heard a great deal of evidence on the public reputation of Mr Adams, but noted that this was not relevant until considering the question of damages. The jury will only consider damages if they find the statements to mean what Mr Adams has pleaded, and if they reject the BBC's defence. On Thursday, BBC senior counsel Paul Gallagher claimed the case was Mr Adams' cynical attempt to launder a reputation of being in the IRA and on its decision-making body, known at the army council. Advertisement Mr Adams's senior counsel Declan Doyle said the BBC was 'deliberately and cynically' ignoring Mr Adams's reputation for peace and reconciliation. The judge said the BBC's argument in relation to Mr Adams's reputation was simple: they say his reputation is bad and they say he should be given nominal damages. The judge said the BBC say the jury should 'send [Mr Adams] packing', with a euro – or even a cent – in damages, if it comes to that. Mr Adams's case is that he has a public reputation for supporting the move to the peace process in Northern Ireland, the judge said. Mr Adams's lawyers have argued that their client should receive 'very substantial' damages of at least €200,000. Advertisement The judge reiterated to the jury that allegations made about Mr Adams in newspapers, books and in other publications – put to Mr Adams by the BBC's lawyers during the trial – were not proof 'that he was involved in nefarious activities'. They are, however, relevant to his public reputation, he said. The judge noted that Mr Adams freely admitted these allegations were made about it, and are in the public domain. He also notes the allegations have been denied by Mr Adams. Also relevant are recordings of Mr Adams giving speeches or press conferences, or clips of him meeting leaders such as Bill Clinton and Nelson Mandela. The judge said it was for the jury to decide what Mr Adams's public reputation is. The judge said they were being asked if his reputation was of a man who approved murder of others and was involved in terrorism, or a man who persuaded others to stop violence, leading to a permanent cessation in violence in Northern Ireland. The judge said they could decided his reputation is a mixture of both propositions, or more one than the other. He said that they should only consider his reputation in this jurisdiction, not in Northern Ireland, or anywhere else. The judge said that in considering a witness's evidence, the jury should consider if they 'have an axe to grind' or is withholding something. He said they should consider the internal consistency of their evidence, to consider if their account is credible. The case returns on Tuesday.
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
PB Shore Club is facing protests over its goldfish races. Will they end?
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — Goldfish racing has been a peculiar feature of PB Shore Club since its opening nearly two decades ago, every week drawing dozens of bargoers out to get in on the action. But now, the event is attracting a number of protesters who argue the tradition exploits its headlining participants — the goldfish — and that it is time for it to come to an end. Over the last few weeks, this contingent of demonstrators has stood outside PB Shore Club during the event, which involves bargoers using straws to blow goldfish from behind to propel them from one end of a water-filled trough to the other, to voice their opposition. San Diego officials ask people to stay away from seals during pupping season 'We're not going to let them be invisible anymore. We're going to be here and we're going to stand up for their rights just like we do for so many others,' Justice Owens, founder of Bold Activists for Animal Liberation and one of the organizers behind the push, said into a bullhorn during the most recent protest against the races on Wednesday. Owens and the other objectors argue the forced activity causes stress, pain and harm to the goldfish, especially given their small size and vulnerable bone structure. This distress has even led to some fish dying in the middle of the race, according to a previous spectator at the event. They further contend the tides have turned on these kinds of animal competitions in overstimulating environments like bars, pointing to other establishments in places like South Carolina and Washington doing away with similar events. A petition the group began circulating two weeks ago has already garnered about 450 signatures from people across the country. 'It's seen as cruel to many,' Owens said in a phone call with FOX 5/KUSI on Thursday. 'It's really truly awful what they do to these fish. They're fully sentient beings and they can live up to decades, but at the PB Shore Club, they only survive like a week or a couple weeks.' However, there has been varying degrees of success in the efforts of animal rights groups to end animal-centric events at bars they view as exploitative. In Los Angeles, for instance, a bar famous for its turtle racing made improvements to the living conditions of its amphibians amid pressure from animal advocates, but did not go so far as to discontinue the practice. It is unclear whether PB Shore Club is receptive to making modifications to its goldfish races, let alone cancel it all together. PB Shore Club did not respond to FOX 5/KUSI's several requests for comment prior to publication. Man sentenced in animal cruelty case Owens says they have not heard from the bar's owners since their movement began as email writing and social media pressure campaign several months ago before escalating to in-person protests. Instead, he says they have been blocked from the bar's social media. Meanwhile, the protests have been met with resistance from patrons and the bar's staff, including an incident last week where the group was pepper-sprayed as they were outside. 'This place is literally just ignoring out efforts,' Owens said. 'They're ignoring the suffering of these animals and they continue to do it, profit off of it, use it as entertainment.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
