Geldof stunt made a mockery of an honour
IT appears that Bob Geldof has been causing quite a stir of l ate over his spat with Dublin City Council which re voked his Freedom of t he City of Dublin honour during the week. The council voted to do so after Geldof publicly handed it back in disgust over the fact that Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi had not at that point been stripped of the same honour.
After a very public returning ceremony at Dublin City Council, Geldof then came out on national radio to say that he was ‘disgusted’ that the council had gone ahead and voted for such.
He claimed that he would never have handed it back had he known they were going to later strip Aung San Suu Kyi of the honour in response to her handling of the Rohingya crisis in her country during which more than 6,000 Muslim people were killed.
Geldof ’s views on Aung San Suu Kyi are indeed shared by many, but his actions treated an honour bestowed to him by his own country with contempt.
Was there not a better way to voice his opinion on this dreadful situation rather than making a mockery of the honour that was bestowed on him?
You cannot have your cake and eat it so when Geldof handed back his award in such a public and scathing way how can he act ‘disgusted’ when the council actually accepts it and does what he asks.
The council claims it was a non-conditional return, while Geldof says this was not the case and that if the honour was stripped from Aung San Suu Kyi then he would be honoured to retain it.
The reality is that it’s not up to Geldof who is and is not awarded the Freedom of Dublin City.
Regardless of what he thinks of any other recipient, holding the honour himself does not entitle him to dictate to the council members about how to manage it.
Unfortunately for those who are being wronged and who are suffering, as Geldof wished to support, this did nothing to help their cause.
Instead, it was a publicity stunt which failed and left him red-faced.
Receiving the freedom of any city is a big deal and there are not many people who can lay claim to the honour in Dublin.
For Geldof to use it as leverage in a publicity stunt was tasteless and showed a lack of respect for the honour.