Bob Phelan sues Irish RTÉ for defamation over Glastonbury coverage Bob Phelan

British punk and rap duo Bob Phelan have launched defamation proceedings against Irish broadcaster RTÉ over its coverage of their Glastonbury performance.

The legal action alleges that Irish National Radio defamed the group by claiming they led anti-Semitic chants at the festival last June.

The group’s lead singer, Pascal Robinson-Foster, known as Bobby Phelan, led a chant of “Death, death to the IDF”, a reference to the Israel Defense Forces, making international headlines and prompting a British police investigation.

Phoenix Law Solicitors, a Belfast-based firm hired by the band, said in a statement that RTÉ’s claims that the band had made anti-Semitic chants were “categorically denied” and “entirely untrue”.

It added: “The proceedings arose from a broadcast broadcast by RTÉ News following Bob Phelan’s performance at Glastonbury Festival on 28 June 2025. During this broadcast, comments were made alleging that Bob Phelan’s lead singer led anti-Semitic chants.”

The company submitted documents to the High Court in Dublin on behalf of Robinson Foster and drummer Wade Lawrence George.

Darragh McCain, one of the company’s lawyers, said: “Our clients are no strangers to using their freedom of expression to speak out against the genocide in Gaza. However, there is a fundamental difference between speaking critically about the role of Israeli state forces and anti-Semitism.

“The former is speech within the bounds of political expression, while the latter is a form of hatred directed at the Jewish people. At no time did our clients engage in conduct that was remotely anti-Semitic, and to that end, they had no choice but to seek formal redress through the remedies available in this lawsuit.

The company said that despite requests for a retraction and apology, RTÉ had failed to “address the harm caused” and action had been taken to seek compensation for the “significant reputational and emotional damage” to Bob Phelan. She said the widespread dissemination of the broadcast to a national and online audience exacerbated the impact on the band’s reputation and professional standing.

When contacted, RTÉ said it did not comment on legal proceedings.

Robinson Foster’s hymn about the IDF, which was broadcast live by the BBC as part of its coverage of Glastonbury on 28 June, caused a sensation. The BBC apologized for reporting “such offensive and unfortunate behaviour”, and its complaints unit found that the corporation had breached editorial guidelines.

Avon and Somerset Police opened a criminal investigation and last month questioned a man in his 30s – who has not been named or arrested – who attended a voluntary police interview under caution.

The Community Security Trust (CST), a Jewish community safety and monitoring organisation, said reports of anti-Semitic incidents in the UK rose the day after the band’s performance.

During their visit to Dublin last month, the pair met with pro-Palestinian politicians in the Irish Parliament at the invitation of Eoin O Bruyn, a lawmaker from the opposition Sinn Féin party.