The BBC has said it will defend itself against a $10 billion (ÂŁ7.9bn) defamation lawsuit filed by US President Donald Trump, following allegations that the broadcaster misleadingly edited footage of his speech before the 6 January 2021 Capitol riot.

“As we have made clear previously, we will be defending this case. We are not going to make further comment on ongoing legal proceedings,” a BBC spokesperson told AFP on Tuesday.

Also Read

placeholder

BBC chairman apologises for ‘error of judgement’ in edited Trump speech

placeholder

‘Think I have an obligation to do it’: Trump on plans to sue BBC over speech edit

Mr Trump lodged the 33-page complaint in federal court in Miami on Monday, accusing the UK public broadcaster of “intentionally misrepresented” editorial practices in a Panorama documentary, Trump: A Second Chance?, which aired shortly before the 2024 US presidential election.

The lawsuit claims the programme broadcast a “false, defamatory, deceptive, disparaging, inflammatory and malicious depiction” of Mr Trump by splicing together separate excerpts of his 6 January speech. His legal team alleges the edit created the impression he urged supporters to march on the US Capitol and “fight like hell”, while omitting his call for a “peaceful and patriotic” protest.

The BBC acknowledged an error last November, with chairman Samir Shah describing the clip as an “error of judgment”. The apology prompted the resignations of Director-General Tim Davie and Head of News Deborah Turness.

However, Mr Trump’s lawsuit argues that the apology does not address the alleged damage to his reputation and asserts that the BBC has “no legal basis” for its defence.