Western media omits Desmond Tutu's fight against apartheid "Israel"
3 Min Read
As South Africa mourns Archbishop Desmond Tutu, known for his activism against apartheid, western media chose to censor his solidarity with Palestine against the Israeli occupation.
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Tutu: I have witnessed the racially segregated roads and housing in the Occupied Palestinian territory.
Desmond Tutu, the Nobel Peace Prize winner, died on Sunday at the age of 90 in Cape Town, according to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Seeing parallels between the apartheid government of South Africa and the Israeli occupation's tactics in Palestine, the Archbishop took a firm stance in favor of Palestine, as evidenced by his numerous lectures and writings published in prestigious international publications over the years.
Tutu also called for a global boycott of "Israel" and urged the Episcopal Church not to invest in firms that support the Israeli occupation.
However, as South Africa mourns Desmond Tutu, western media omits the Archbishop's support for the Palestinian cause and his comparison of Israeli policies to South Africa's apartheid.
"I have been to the Occupied Palestinian territory, and I have witnessed the racially segregated roads and housing that reminded me so much of the conditions we experienced in South Africa under the racist system of Apartheid," wrote Tutu.
In his obituary, the Palestinian cause was censored, leaving out Tutu's key parts of activism and politics. In one of his interviews, he compares Israeli apartheid to South African apartheid, which disappointed many, accusing him of antisemitism.
An obituary, by definition, typically includes a brief biography of the deceased person, making it quite odd to leave out the Archbishop's support for Palestine.
Western media outlets, such as New York Times and The Guardian, repeatedly mentioned that Tutu was against apartheid, deliberately leaving out his criticism of "Israel" and its comparison to SA's apartheid.
Social media uproar
Some analysts and activists tweeted their anger, emphasizing that western media is not adopting free speech, after censoring Tutu's words.
The Guardian just deleted a post from Prof. David Mond (Warwick) which expressed disappointment that the obituary on Desmond Tutu made no reference to the Archbishop’s support for Palestine and his comparison of Israeli policies to SA Apartheid.
— Craig Brandist (@BrandistCraig) December 26, 2021
So, in their respective obituaries both the @guardian and the @nytimes decided to just completely leave out Desmond Tutu's very public solidarity with Palestinians and his campaigns against Israel's apartheid state and occupation; which were key parts of his politics and activism
— Africa Is a Country (@africasacountry) December 27, 2021
In an exclusive article to Haaretz, the Archbishop restated and emphasized his solidarity with Palestine against "the injustice of the illegal occupation of Palestine." He mentioned, "I called for the suspension of Israel from the International Union of Architects, which was meeting in South Africa."
"We are opposed to the injustice of the illegal occupation of Palestine. We are opposed to the indiscriminate killing in Gaza. We are opposed to the indignity meted out to Palestinians at checkpoints and roadblocks. We are opposed to violence perpetrated by all parties. But we are not opposed to Jews.”
He called on the Israeli settlers "to actively disassociate themselves and their profession from the design and construction of infrastructure related to perpetuating injustice, including the separation barrier, the security terminals and checkpoints, and the settlements built on occupied Palestinian land."
That said, western media has proved its double standards when it comes to freedom of speech, thus hindering its credibility by censoring Tutu's words.
