U2 Call For Aung San Suu Kyi To Be Stripped Of Freedom Of Dublin City Award

The Burmese politician was once admired but she has now become "one of the great ethnic cleansers", Sir Bob Geldof claimed back in October.
U2 said in their letter to Dublin City Council: "You have the same facts as we have, which indicate that deliberate and brutal violence, rape, and murder are being used to drive the Rohingya from Rakhine State.
"This persecution has been authorised and led by Min Aung Hlaing, the Head of Myanmar’s military. While Aung San Suu Kyi does not have the capacity to control the military, she does have the responsibility to condemn their actions.
"The civilian government that she leads is responsible for everyone in her country, and no matter how difficult her position is, to stand by while half a million lives and livelihoods are deliberately decimated by the Myanmar Military is beyond comprehension.
"Martin Luther King Jr. said, “The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people.”
U2 stated that they felt she should be stripped of the award because of "her failure to stand up for the rights of the Rohingya constitutes a betrayal of the principles for which she was so revered… and for which she received the Freedom of the City".
They added: "The City of Dublin sent a very strong message in defence of human rights in 1999, we believe an equally strong message in defence of human rights is just as important now."
Coincidentally, U2 actually received the same honour alongside Aung San Suu Kyi whose son Kim accepted on her behalf on the day back in the year 2000.
U2's letter comes shortly after Bob Geldof handed back his own freedom of the city award because, as he said, he doesn't want to be connected with an award that's associated with Aung San Suu Kyi.
The Burmese Nobel peace laureate's government has come under wide-spread fire over its violent military crackdown on Rohingya muslims, which resulted in over a half million fleeing the state during one month alone back in September/October.
Here is U2's letter in full:
"Dear Councillor,We write as long-time supporters of Amnesty International, and as extremely proud recipients of the Freedom of the City. We remember very clearly the day when we received that honour alongside Aung San Suu Kyi whose son Kim accepted on her behalf.
"The day was a very special one for us first and foremost because Dublin is our hometown. Of the various “awards” – deserved or not – we’ve been lucky enough to receive over the years, this is by far the one that means the most to us. It was also special because we’d been so moved by the strength and fortitude shown by Aung San Suu Kyi in then-Burma. We were campaigning for her release and were proud of Dublin’s recognition of her courage, and that of her colleagues, to bring about fledgling democracy against all odds… against one of the most brutal regimes of modern times.
"So it saddens us to be writing to you today as you discuss recent events in Myanmar and decide whether that merits the rescinding of the honour you bestowed on her.
"We believe it does.
"You have the same facts as we have, which indicate that deliberate and brutal violence, rape, and murder are being used to drive the Rohingya from Rakhine State. This persecution has been authorised and led by Min Aung Hlaing, the Head of Myanmar’s military. While Aung San Suu Kyi does not have the capacity to control the military, she does have the responsibility to condemn their actions.
The civilian government that she leads is responsible for everyone in her country, and no matter how difficult her position is, to stand by while half a million lives and livelihoods are deliberately decimated by the Myanmar Military is beyond comprehension. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people.”
"The decision of who should and shouldn’t have this honour lies with you. But we felt compelled to write given our history with you, and with Aung San Suu Kyi. We believe her failure to stand up for the rights of the Rohingya constitutes a betrayal of the principles for which she was so revered… and for which she received the Freedom of the City. The City of Dublin sent a very strong message in defence of human rights in 1999, we believe an equally strong message in defence of human rights is just as important now.
"Thanks for your time.
"Bono, The Edge, Larry Mullen Jr and Adam Clayton."
Bob Geldof says he's a "proud Dubliner" but added: "In short, I do not wish to be associated in any way with an individual currently engaged in the mass ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya people of north-west Burma."
He also said: "I am a founding patron of The Aegis Trust, who are concerned with genocide prevention and studies. Its founders built and maintain the National Holocaust Museum of the UK.
"I spoke at the inaugural National Holocaust Memorial Day at Westminster and in my time, I have walked amongst peoples who were sectionally targeted with ethnic cleansing."
He adds: "I would be a hypocrite now were I to share honours with one who has become at best an accomplice to murder, complicit in ethnic cleansing and a handmaiden to genocide."
Back in October, Dubliner Bob Geldof heavily criticised the Nobel Peace Prize winner, who at the time was about to be stripped of her Freedom of Oxford honour.
"Insults them all. Took the greatest prize that humans can give one another. And then becomes one of the great ethnic cleansers of our planet. It’s a disgrace," he said during a speech at the One Young World conference in Colombia.
"I am sick of these leaders. I am sick of Putin. I’m sick of Xi Jinping. I’m sick of Trump. I’m sick of Erdogan. I loathe these people. I despise them. How dare they behave in the manner they behave.
With her now getting stripped of her Freedom of Oxford honour, it probably won't be too long before she is deservedly stripped of her Freedom of Dublin.
Cllr Mary Freehill, who was the Lord Mayor of Dublin when Suu Kyi was first awarded the Freedom of Dublin, has slammed the iconic figure's handling of the Rohinga crisis as "deplorable".
Ms Suu Kyi was first awarded the Freedom of Dublin in 2000 when Cllr Freehill was Lord Mayor of Dublin. Ms Suu Kyi was not in a position to receive the award personally until 2012.
"The inaction of Aung San Suu Kyi in relation to the Rohingya crisis is deplorable and not in keeping with the ideals we would expect from a Nobel Peace Prize winner," Cllr Mary Freehill tells Hot Press.
"Aung San Suu Kyi was awarded the Freedom of Dublin City because she was an icon of human rights, peace and freedom. It is now time for her to live up to those principles."
The Labour Cllr added: "While she has said that Myanmar does not fear international scrutiny, it is now time that she put action on her words and invite UN investigators into the country, including Rakhine state. They should be allowed full a nd unshackled access to all areas, and people in need in the region."
In her Nobel Lecture in 2012, Ms. Suu Kyi said, "Ultimately our aim should be to create a world free from the displaced, the homeless and the hopeless, a world of which each and every corner is a true sanctuary where the inhabitants will have the freedom and the capacity to live in peace.
"Every thought, every word, and every action that adds to the positive and the wholesome is a contribution to peace. Each and every one of us is capable of making such a contribution. Let us join hands to try to create a peaceful world where we can sleep in security and wake in happiness.”
And "such sentiments and values", adds Cllr Freehill, "are a far cry from her current position on the 421,000 Rohingan who had to flee to Bangladesh.
She concludes: "I want to add my voice to those calling on her now to take action on the Rohingya crisis."