BBC Faces $5m Republican Rap
Byrne v. British Broadcasting Corporation
The Sunday Times (London) - 4/30/00
DISCLAIMER:
BBC logo used only to identify adversary
By John Burns
THE BBC will be forced to defend its record in Northern Ireland in a multi-million-
dollar lawsuit brought by a republican rap singer.
Chris Byrne, a former New York policeman and an Irish-American hip-hop artist,
is suing BBC Northern Ireland for allegedly using the lyrics of one of his songs,
Fenians, without permission.
Byrne's song was synchronised over images of New York in a Spotlight
programme last October about IRA gunrunning in Florida. The Brooklyn rapper
claims this associated him with the programme's allegedly anti-Irish message.
Byrne, who operates under the stage name Seanchai (storyteller), boasts that he
once vetoed a lucrative tour sponsorship offer from Reebok because its corporate
logo includes the Union Jack, which he considers offensive.
The legal action in the federal district court in Manhattan is likely to turn into an
examination of the BBC's role in Northern Ireland throughout the Troubles. Byrne is
claiming the corporation is an agent of British government propaganda, has
presented a one-sided view of the conflict, and ignored nationalist grievances.
The singer's affidavit states that many Irish and Irish-American political leaders,
journalists and academics share his opinion of the BBC, raising the possibility that
some of these will be called as witnesses.
Among the issues which would be examined at the trial is Byrne's contention that
for many years "names of applicants for editorial jobs in the BBC were passed to
the British intelligence agency, MI5, for vetting". The rap singer is also alleging that
the BBC "censored countless programmes which challenge British policy in the
north of Ireland", and even banned the song Give Ireland Back to the Irish by Paul
McCartney.
The suit demands compensation of at least $2m, and punitive damages of $3m. A
spokesman for the BBC said the corporation did not comment on legal matters.
A confessed republican, Byrne regularly sings at benefit gigs for IRA members
fighting extradition from America. The second-generation Irishman - his parents are
from Donegal - has carved out a lucrative musical career since 1994 singing
numbers such as Time to Go and Fenians to Irish-Americans. Byrne resigned from
the New York police in 1994 after having a World Cup hit with C'mon Ya Boyz 'n'
Green, which led to a lucrative record deal with EMI. He bought a pub with the
proceeds.
Byrne, 37, plays the uillean pipes and low whistle as well as rapping, and has
been involved in groups such as Black 47 and Paddy-A-Go-Go. His lyrics,
supposedly written to educate Irish-Americans about the conflict in Northern
Ireland, are overtly anti-British.
"After everything I've stood for, after all the benefits and the protests, it now
appears to my compatriots and my fans that Seanchai has sold out," Byrne
complained last week.
Byrne's lawyers say his suit is similar to an action by Chuck D of Public Enemy,
who sued the G Heileman brewing company because a few seconds of his voice
were used without permission in ads promoting malt liquor. The rap singer was
publicly opposed to the marketing and promotion of the product.
Russell Smith, Byrne's lawyer, who has represented Chuck D and Sean
McPhilemy, author of The Committee, said he was confident of victory in the case.
"The BBC's copyright infringement could not be more clear," he claimed.
Asked last week if he supported the IRA, Byrne said he was unashamed to say he
was a republican. "I would certainly support a British withdrawal from Ireland," he
said.
Byrne believes he has the support of many Irish-Americans interested in having
the BBC put "on trial".
"I do have faith in the courts over here. The BBC are kidding themselves if they
think I am not taking this to the end," he said.
"The BBC coverage of the last 30 years has been abominable. It was not just a
matter of having British troops on the streets; they fought a subtle propaganda
war."
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