Van Morrison Planning Legal Challenge Against Northern Ireland’s Live Music Ban
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Van Morrison has been a vocal critic of the UK’s lockdown policies, posting statements railing against “pseudo-science” and releasing a series of anti-lockdown singles (including one with Eric Clapton). Now, as The Irish Examiner reports, he is trying to launch a legal challenge against Northern Ireland’s live music ban.
As with most countries around the world, Northern Ireland has restrictions in place to prevent large gatherings during this devastating pandemic. But Van Morrison, in new paperwork submitted to the Irish courts, argues that the country’s blanket ban on all live music is unsustainable and not based on credible scientific evidence. (Morrison has been harping on this point on Twitter for months.) Northern Ireland is currently on a six-week lockdown following an uptick in cases; previously, certain venues were allowed to open but live music was still not allows.
As Rolling Stone reports, Van Morrison’s lawyers have filed a “pre-acton protocol letter” with the Department Of Health “challenging the blanket ban on live music [and] giving them 21 days to respond.” If they don’t respond after that time period, a representative told Rolling Stone that they “would issue proceedings immediately to the High Court.”
Good luck with that, Van Morrison.