Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Boomtown prat
Geldof bins freedom of Dublin
SIR Bob Geldof handed back his freedom of the city of Dublin award yesterday in protest that Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi also holds it.
Accusing her of mass murder, the former Boomtown Rats frontman said he is outraged the council has not rescinded the Myanmar Prime Minister’s honour.
The 66-year-old delivered his scroll to the City Hall and held a short meeting before noon yesterday.
San Suu Kyi has been internationally condemned for failing to tackle the ethnic cleansing of Rohingya Muslims which has resulted in mass murder and rapes.
Admitting it was a public relations exercise, Live Aid organiser Sir Bob added: “It is a PR stunt to try and dissociate this city from a murderer.
“I don’t want to be on a select role of wonderful people and be honoured thus myself – I don’t want to be honoured with a killer.
“Someone who is, at best, a handmaiden to genocide and an accomplice to murder.”
He told RTE’S Today With Sean O’rourke he didn’t want to hand back the honour. Sir Bob added: “I don’t want to give this up, I’m really proud of it.
“I get handed things by states and cities around the world but I’m a Dub and this meant very much to me.”
Around 600,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled from Myanmar into neighbouring Bangladesh since August leading to a major humanitarian crisis.
San Suu Kyi has not only failed to stop the killings she has refused to even condemn them.
The Lord Mayor of Dublin Micheal Mac Donncha said Sir Bob was entitled to return his award but pointed out the British title he holds was also held by some who were involved in murder and genocide.
He added: “I have condemned the persecution of the Rohingya people and the failure of San Suu Kyi to acknowledge ethnic cleansing. “Regarding Mr Geldof, I find it ironic he makes this gesture while proudly retaining his title as Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire given the shameful record of imperialism.
“Last year he insulted the men and women of the 1916 Rising in the centenary year when he compared them to so-called Islamic State.”
DUBLIN YESTERDAY