Sir Van Morrison has issued legal proceedings against NI Health Minister Robin Swann and the Department of Health in Northern Ireland, citing an article written by Swann for Rolling Stone magazine in 2020.
In the op-ed published in September 2020, Swann blasted the Belfast performer’s attitude towards restrictions enacted to deal with Covid, saying that some of Sir Morrison’s remarks were “dangerous”.
“His words will give great comfort to the conspiracy theorists – the tin foil hat brigade who crusade against masks and vaccines and think this is all a huge global plot to remove freedoms,” the op-ed read.
In the opinion piece, Swann criticised the singer’s anti-lockdown stance, writing that Morrison had “chosen to attack attempts to protect the old and vulnerable in our society”.
“It’s all bizarre and irresponsible. I only hope no one takes him seriously. He’s no guru, no teacher,” the UUP politician said in the piece.
"It’s all bizarre and irresponsible. I only hope no one takes him seriously. He’s no guru, no teacher," Robin Swann writes in an exclusive op-ed https://t.co/4my0Zw5stx
— Rolling Stone (@RollingStone) September 21, 2020
This was in reference to Morrison’s anti-lockdown songs, including the song ‘No More Lockdown’ in which he sang: “No more lockdown/No more government overreach/No more fascist bullies/Disturbing our peace. No more taking of our freedom/And our God-given rights/Pretending it’s for our safety/When it’s really to enslave”.
Other songs which criticised the Government-imposed lockdown included “Born to Be Free” and “As I Walked Out”, both of which accused the Government of limiting personal freedoms.
The piece referenced Morrison’s efforts to continue to perform live music during the start of the initial 2020 lockdown. Morrison launched a ‘Save live music’ campaign, which he used to ask the government to provide a roadmap for live music to recommence, and through which he highlighted the financial hardship faced by musicians as a result of lockdowns. In the op-ed, Swann said this approach could have the potential to encourage people not to take Covid seriously.
In the op-ed, Swann said that the people of the north were very proud of Morrison’s musical legacy, meaning that his anti-lockdown views were the source of “a real feeling of disappointment”, and that “we expected better from him”.
He went on to say that Morrison’s attitude “went further than disappointment”, writing: “Some of what he is saying is actually dangerous”.
He added: “It could encourage people to not to take Coronavirus seriously. If you see it all as a big conspiracy, then you are less likely to follow the vital public health advice that keeps you and others safe.”
A spokesperson for 76-year-old Van Morrison confirmed on Monday that he had launched legal proceedings.
The statement, issued to BBC News NI, read: “We confirm that legal proceedings have been issued against Mr Robin Swann MLA and the Department of Health as co-publishers of an op-ed in Rolling Stone.”
In response to the announcement, the Department of Health, which is also at the centre of Morrison’s legal action, said it would not comment on “active legal matters”.
The legal action follows Swann’s announcement in 2021 that he was suing Morrison after the singer said he was “very dangerous” – citing his imposition of Covid restrictions.
This came in the aftermath of an incident at a sit-down dinner at Belfast’s Europa Hotel five months prior, when Morrison appeared on stage and used the opportunity to criticise Swann. The legendary singer was due to perform at the event, but was cancelled at short notice because of public health restrictions in place in Northern Ireland.
At the cancelled gig, Morrison told those gathered: “Robin Swann has all the power. So I say Robin Swann is very dangerous”.
He was joined by DUP MP Ian Paisley on stage, but the MP later claimed he did not believe Swann was “dangerous” and described his chanting as“parody and sarcasm”.
Swann’s defamation proceedings against the outspoken singer also referred to two subsequent incidents when the musician elaborated on his views on Mr Swann.
The first of these incidents was when Morrison was asked by a Sunday Life reporter to expand on his initial comments about Swann, and Morrison reportedly responded by saying the minister was a “fraud”.
The second incident was in relation to content the songwriter uploaded to YouTube in which he addressed his controversial appearance at the Europa Hotel, and once again criticised the minister and called him “dangerous”, even though he mistakenly referred to him as Robert Swann in the video.