Gerry Adams criticises ‘grievous smear' in BBC Spotlight programme during defamation trial

The Journal

07-05-2025

GERRY ADAMS SAID he had been legally advised he would not get 'any sort of a fair hearing' by challenging several claims that he had been a member of the IRA in court, during a libel trial against the BBC.
The 76-year-old said he is suing the BBC over allegations in a broadcast which 'sets aside the huge work that was done' by him on the peace process and to persuade the IRA to 'leave the stage'.
The former Sinn Féin leader said he was 'irritated' by allegations he had been a member of the IRA Army Council but that he had previously been advised not to pursue such claims.
However, he said he was suing the BBC over a 2016 broadcast because it had contained a 'grievous smear' that he takes 'seriously'.
Adams gave evidence for a sixth day as part of his defamation case against the BBC at the High Court in Dublin.
He claims a BBC Spotlight programme, and an accompanying online story, defamed him by alleging he sanctioned the killing of the former Sinn Féin official Denis Donaldson.
Mr Donaldson, who had worked for Sinn Féin, was shot dead in Donegal in 2006, months after admitting his role as a police and MI5 agent for 20 years.
Adams denies any involvement.
In 2009, the Real IRA admitted killing Mr Donaldson.
The Spotlight programme was broadcast in September 2016.
The trial opened last week with barrister for Adams, Tom Hogan SC, saying the former Sinn Féin president's reputation as a 'peacemaker' had suffered an 'unjustified' attack because of the broadcast of the BBC programme.
On Wednesday, Adams continued taking questions from the barrister for the BBC, Paul Gallagher SC.
In front of the jury, Mr Gallagher read extracts from books and a series of newspaper articles which featured politicians including former taoisigh Bertie Ahern and Enda Kenny, as well as SDLP founder John Hume and ex-UUP leader David Trimble, expressing surprise that Adams was not acknowledging he was a member of the IRA.
Adams said he did tens of thousands of interviews and could not 'recall every single one'.
He repeatedly said it was not for him to comment on the journalistic content of the extracts, also noting that it was open for Mr Gallagher to call Mr Ahern to explain his comments to the court.
The former Sinn Féin leader was also questioned on matters relating to a number of issues, including the party's move to end abstentionism from the Oireachtas, Stormontgate and the killing of prison officer Brian Stack.
On the subject of ending abstentionism, Adams said he had 'never purported to speak for the IRA ever'.
He said whatever the IRA was going to do on that topic, he and others had come to the considered position that it was the right policy.
Asked by judge Alexander Owens if all members of the IRA would be members of Sinn Féin, Adams said it was not the case and that not all members of Sinn Féin would necessarily support the IRA.
While stating he was not able to specifically remember individual articles that were raised by Mr Gallagher, Adams acknowledged that claims about him being a member of the Army Council of the IRA had been raised in public.
He said he was doing this to save the court time as Mr Gallagher was 'repeating questions time and time and time again'.
He further accused Mr Gallagher of trying to persuade the jury that he did not have a reputation or that his reputation was 'useless'.
He said the BBC's lawyer was engaging in a 'smothering saturation of the jury' with 'obscure quotes' dating back 30-40 years.
Adams said he brought allegations to his legal team as a matter of routine and added that 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.
However, he said he had taken action on a number of occasions by writing to editors or the Press Council which had resulted in retractions or apologies.
In the case of the action against the BBC, he added: 'That shows how seriously I take this allegation in the Spotlight programme, that I am suing.'
He said he had sued against what he considers to be an issue that 'sets aside the huge work that was done' by him and others on the peace process.
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He said the import of the programme was that his work to end the campaign of violence 'was a scam' and that the IRA Army Council had authorised the killing of Mr Donaldson and asked Adams for permission.
He said he considered this to be a 'lie' and 'grievous smear' which 'could have no other impact on the peace process but to undermine what was achieved'.
Adams repeatedly said the issues being raised in the court were 'more of the same' and had not mentioned the allegation in the Spotlight programme which was at issue in the case.
He said his solicitor had made a 'strenuous effort' to get the BBC to deal with the matter outside of the courts, noting it was licence-fee payers for the broadcaster that were paying for Mr Gallagher's services.
Asked if he was 'appalled' by allegations that he was involved in the crimes of the IRA Army Council dating back decades, he said he would not use that word but would say he was 'irritated'.
He said allegations about him were 'getting in the way' of his engagements on the peace process.
When Mr Gallagher raised how many people had been killed by the IRA, Adams said: 'Please don't lecture me on the number of people who have been killed,' adding that he gave thanks that a peace process had been put together to stop that.
Adams' legal representatives objected to the line of questioning on the series of newspapers articles to say that Mr Gallagher was advancing the materials as to the truth of their content.
Judge Owens told the jury that 'all of this guff is not evidence' as to whether or not Adams was a member of the IRA, and were simply to be taken that the assertions were in the public domain.
Adams further said the media had 'demonised Sinn Féin'.
He said he did not want to be egotistical as he considered himself to be as 'flawed as anybody else' in the room, adding: 'I don't go around trumpeting my achievements.'
However, he said he had – with others – achieved a peace process and built Sinn Fein to the largest party on the island.
Adams said he acknowledged there were various allegations and assertions about his alleged involvement with the IRA and its crimes across various forms of media, including books, television and newspaper, spanning a period of decades.
However, he said he never acknowledged their accuracy nor correctness – adding: 'In fact, I deny them.'
He added: 'There are of course some folk who want to fight the war all over again and set aside the progress that has been made – and that includes those who killed Denis Donaldson, and I'm sure whoever it was who would like to see me dead as well.'
Adams was also asked about the Disney television series Say Nothing, based on the book of the same name by US journalist Patrick Radden Keefe.
The series is a dramatisation of several events of the Troubles, including the life of IRA activist Dolours Price and the murder of Jean McConville.
He said he had not seen the series nor read the book, adding: 'Life's too short to watch Disney, especially when it's dealing with serious issues.'
He described the author as an opportunist and said he believed he had declined an opportunity to be interviewed by him.
He also said the work had been based on the 'discredited' Boston Tapes project, which he said were created by two people 'to get at' him.
On the involvement of IRA activist Brendan Hughes, he said Mr Hughes went on to be a supporter of a dissident republican group and had said he would shoot Adams himself.
Asked about the Brighton bombing which involved an attempt on the life of Margaret Thatcher and other members of the Conservative Cabinet, Adams stood by comments he had reportedly made in 1984 that the attack would have been a 'blow for democracy' rather than a 'blow against democracy'.
He told the court that it would be a 'blow for Irish democracy', against the connection with Britain.
He added: 'It would be far better, far, far better – and I say this at the age that I'm at – if there had been no violence but it was what it was, despite efforts by me and many others that it went on and and on.'
Adams said the place that he came from had suffered under successive British prime ministers including Ms Thatcher.
He said: 'The war is done. We're all in a better place. We can say with certainty that the people of this island will get a referendum and the people of this island will get a chance to vote on the future.'
He added that the likelihood of an event like the Brighton bombing happening again in 'any of our lifetimes has been prevented and avoided by the initiatives taken by me and others'.
The trial continues.