Rohingya crisis: Myanmar’s ‘Buddhist bin Laden’ Wirathu blasts international community
Firebrand monk criticises calls to bring the country’s generals to justice at the International Criminal Court
The ban, which ended in March, was issued by a council of senior monks who said Wirathu had “repeatedly delivered hate speech against religions to cause communal strife”.
The hate speech he espouses – which includes calling the Rohingya Muslim minority “Bengali” in an attempt to delegitimize their identity as being from Myanmar – has also caused Facebook to ban him from their platform.
The hardline abbot on Sunday reverted to his signature rhetoric at the rally to protest against calls for the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate Myanmar’s generals for genocide and crimes against humanity against the Rohingya.
“The day when the ICC comes here … is the day that Wirathu holds a gun,” he said in a speech that often referred to himself in the third person.
He lauded China and Russia in the UN Security Council as “nationalist giants who stand with the truth” in their role of preventing any firm action against Myanmar.