GB News has apologised to Dale Vince, the green energy industrialist, environmental campaigner and co-owner of Forest Green Rovers, for defaming him in a tweet/video published on X on 14 March 2024.
The tweet complained of read, "You had a major Labour Party donor who called Hamas "freedom fighters"! No one has asked Labour if they'll pay back his money" Lord Bailey takes aim at multi-million pound Labour donor, Dale Vince, who said in a radio interview last year that Hamas are "freedom fighters"". The tweet also contained a video of a GB News interview with Lord Bailey.
Mr Vince asserted that the tweet and video would be understood by readers to mean that Mr Vince had supported the terrorist acts of Hamas, which included the mass murder, kidnapping and rape which took place on 7 October, by stating that its members are freedom fighters.
On 28 May 2024, libel proceedings were issued in the King's Bench Division of the High Court against GB News. They settled before any Defence being filed.
GB News' apology is set out below:-
"On 14 March 2024, we published a Post on X in which we stated that Dale Vince “said in a radio interview ... that Hamas are 'freedom fighters'”. We now accept that this was not an accurate reflection of Mr Vince’s comments. We apologise to Mr Vince for any distress caused by our publication".
GB News has also agreed to pay substantial damages, agreed not to republish the libel and to pay Mr Vince's legal costs in full.
Mr Vince has said that he will donate the damages to charity.
Dale Vince was represented by Tom Double and Iain Wilson, and William Bennett KC of 5RB