Van Morrison will challenge the Northern Ireland government in court because of his “general ban” on live music in licensed venues due to restrictions on the coronavirus, his lawyer said on Tuesday.
Lawyer Joe Rice said the Northern Irish singer-songwriter, who has released several protest songs against Covid-19 rules in recent months, will ask the Belfast High Court to review the policy.
“We will apply for a judicial review license to challenge the general ban on live music at licensed facilities in Northern Ireland,” said Rice. “We are not aware of any reliable scientific or medical evidence to justify this general ban … and we will challenge that in the higher court.”
The United Kingdom, the country most hit in Europe by the virus, is struggling with its third and deadliest wave, attributed to a new strain considered highly infectious.
The delegated governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, which are responsible for health policy, have imposed restrictive blocking measures at various stages of the health crisis.
The Northern Ireland executive in Belfast has introduced regulations that prohibit live music in licensed locations in Northern Ireland.
All hospitality and entertainment venues are closed as part of a six-week blockade, but Morrison is eager to challenge the rules for when they reopen.
Rice noted that the singer managed to perform in England several times in the past year, before the British government toughened the rules there.
He said he expected the case to be heard in the upper court in “weeks”.
Morrison was acting “on behalf of the thousands of musicians, artists, venues and everyone involved in the live music industry,” said Rice.
The singer sparked controversy during the pandemic, reportedly last August asking people to “fight pseudoscience” around Covid-19.
A month later, he released a trio of new tracks – called Born To Be Free, As I Walked Out and No More Lockdown – at two-week intervals containing controversial lyrics.
They included: “Enough overtaking the government / Enough with fascist aggressors / Disturbing our peace” as well as “Enough taking our freedom / And our God-given rights / Pretending it is for our safety / When it is really to enslave. “