Censorship and cover-up over Archbishop Tutu

Despite the acres of newspaper tributes and hours of TV programming about South African anti-apartheid fighter, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, a couple of inconvenient facts have been left out, even deleted.

Nothing has been mentioned about his wholehearted and often repeated condemnation of Israel’s “apartheid” polices and oppression of their subjected Palestinian neighbours.

It’s one thing to simply ignore his inconvenient opinion but readers of the Guardian who sent in letters praising the cleric have complained that their references to his criticism of Israel have been blue pencilled and never seen the light of day.

Only after loud public complaints about this did the Guardian admit the secret censorship, without providing any explanation why it had taken place, and promised to publish the censored paragraphs.

All TV stations remained silent about this.

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The same was true of Tutu’s call for Tony Blair (and W Bush) to be arrested and hauled before the International Criminal Court in the Hague, to face war crime charges over the war with Iraq.

He also accused both leaders of telling bare-faced lies about weapons of mass destruction to justify the war which claimed up to one million Iraqi lives.

In the face of no action by any government or court he bitterly complained that there appeared to be one set of standards for prosecuting black (African) people and another for white (Western) leaders.

Outcry over Blair honour

On the day the Archbishop’s body was laid to rest in South Africa it was announced that the Queen has granted Tony Blair her highest honour, a Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter.

The news was greeted with an outcry, mainly from the left. On Saturday a petition was launched calling for the honour to be withdrawn. Within three days more than half a million people had signed.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu, RIP.