damages

Gerry Adams awarded €100,000 damages in libel victory over BBC

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https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/may/30/gerry-adams-defamation-action-against-bbc-over-murdered-spy-claim

Former Sinn Féin leader sued broadcaster over allegation in documentary that he sanctioned murder of MI5 informant

Gerry Adams has won a defamation action against the BBC over a documentary that carried a claim he sanctioned the murder of an MI5 informant in 2006.

A jury at Dublin’s high court on Friday found that the BBC had not acted in good faith or in a fair and reasonable way and awarded the former Sinn Féin leader €100,000 (£84,000) in damages

The verdict came after a high-profile four-week trial that scrutinised Adams’s alleged membership of the IRA and his role during Northern Ireland’s Troubles and peace process.

Lawyers for Adams accused the BBC of a “grievous smear” and “hatchet job”. Lawyers for the broadcaster defended the documentary and said the libel action was a cynical attempt to launder Adams’s reputation.

The former West Belfast MP said a BBC Spotlight documentary and accompanying online article defamed him in 2016 by claiming he had sanctioned the murder of Denis Donaldson, a former Sinn Féin official who was shot dead in County Donegal months after admitting he had for decades been a police and MI5 informant. The claim about Adams was made by an anonymous source known only as “Martin”.

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Article continues at https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/may/30/gerry-adams-defamation-action-against-bbc-over-murdered-spy-claim

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Greepeace future under threat following legal action by oil giants

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https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/greepeace-future-under-threat-following-legal-action-oil-giants

A Shell logo at a petrol station

ENVIRONMENTAL campaign group Greenpeace has warned that its future is under financial threat because of legal action by oil giant Shell.

It says its work in Britain and internationally will be in jeopardy if it loses a court case in which the company is demanding $1 million (£803,000) in damages after activists occupied a drilling platform being towed in the Atlantic last year.

The occupation attracted international attention.

The case is due to go to trial in July.

Greenpeace says it is facing similar legal action by “Big Oil” companies in the United States and Italy and has launched an appeal for donations to help it fight in court.

Ian Duff, who heads Greenpeace’s “Stop Drilling, Start Paying” campaign, said: “Greenpeace is under attack globally like never before.

“Right now, our colleagues in Italy, the USA, and here in the UK are all targets of intimidation lawsuits from oil giants, strategically deployed with one aim: silence anyone brave enough to stand up to their planet-wrecking business.”

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“Let’s be clear — it’s not about the money,” he said. “Shell makes the $1 million it is suing us for every half an hour.

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https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/greepeace-future-under-threat-following-legal-action-oil-giants

Continue ReadingGreepeace future under threat following legal action by oil giants