Geldof to turn in Dublin honour to protest plight of Rohingya
LONDON — Irish rock singer Bob Geldof says he is returning his Freedom of the City of Dublin honour because it is also held by Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi, accusing her of complicity for what he and others, including the United Nations, call “ethnic cleansing” of Rohingya Muslims in the Asian nation.
The founder of Live Aid says Suu Kyi is a “handmaiden to genocide” whose association with Ireland’s capital “shames us all.”
Suu Kyi is a Nobel peace laureate for her leadership of the democracy movement in Myanmar but she has come under widespread criticism as her country’s civilian leader because of violence that has caused many in the Rohingya minority to flee the country.
In a statement, Geldof says he will turn his award in at City Hall on Monday morning. He says he is a “proud Dubliner” and does not want the ceremonial title while Suu Kyi also holds it.