We will take your Freedom...if we can
CITY VOWS TO REMOVE BURMA LEADER’S HONOUR
Reporter AFTER pledging to strip Aung San Suu Kyi of her Freedom of the City honour, Newcastle City Council has admitted it is not actually sure how to do it.
The Nobel Peace Prize winner was once heralded for her opposition to Myanmar’s ruling military junta and helping to introduce elements of democracy into the country.
She was given the honorary award by the council in 2010, but has since been accused of being potentially complicity in ethnic cleansing for her failure to speak out on the persecution of the Rohingya people.
Councillors unanimously agreed to strip her of the honour in February but the symbolic gesture has run into a snag - there’s no legal process to formally remove it.
The constitutional committee met on March 7 to discuss the move and confirmed in a report that “there is no express power in the legislation to revoke the Freedom of the City”.
The report notes that Oxford City Council had run into the same issue.
Questions have also been raised over what should be done with the inscription of Suu Kyi’s name on a plaque of recipients in the civic centre’s banqueting hall. Councillors reportedly discussed whether or not to remove the name altogether or instead just inscribe 2010-2018 after it. Lib Dem opposition spokesman Greg Stone said: “The council still doesn’t appear to have a formal process for removal of the Freedom of the City and Aung San Suu Kyi name will seemingly remain on the public roll of honour. “This episode has illustrated that granting or indeed removing the Freedom of the City honour as a form of virtue signalling can go embarrassingly wrong.” A council spokesman said: “Council has formally passed the motion that revokes the freedom and the constitutional committee is looking at what technical changes need to be made as a result, including discussing options around the wall.”