Murder of Bernard Darke
Bernard Darke, a British-born, Guyana-based Jesuit priest and photographer for the Catholic Standard, was stabbed to death on 14 July 1979 by members of the House of Israel, a religious cult that was closely tied to the People's National Congress (PNC), while he was photographing Working People's Alliance demonstrations of the PNC.[1][2][3] Guyana's Stabroek News described the murder as "the low point of democracy in Guyana" and, for those in the media, "perhaps the most traumatic event of the [Forbes] Burnham regime."[4]
Bernard Darke
[edit | edit source]Darke was born in 1925.[5] He attended St Peter's College in Southbourne.[citation needed] Darke served in the Royal Navy in World War II and became a Jesuit in 1946.[5] He was reported to have been involved in scouting and to have developed an interest in photography while in formation at Heythrop.[5] During the 1950s, Darke taught at Wimbledon College.[5] He was ordained in 1958.[5]
Darke went to British Guiana in 1960 and became a lecturer who taught scripture and math at St. Stanislaus College in Georgetown.[5][6] There, he continued his interests in photography and scouting, where he was scout leader from 1962 to his death.[5][7]
Murder
[edit | edit source]
In 1979, Darke was a photographer for the Catholic Standard, a tabloid paper that was described as being "extremely critical" of the People's National Congress (PNC).[2] The House of Israel was a cult founded by David Hill, an American fugitive known as Rabbi Edward Washington.[8] Opponents of Forbes Burnham's government said that the House of Israel was a private army for the People's National Congress, and the group was reported to be a "brutal force in street demonstrations."[8] On behalf of the PNC, the House of Israel also engaged in strike breaking activities and the disruption of public meetings.[8]
On 14 July 1979, Walter Rodney and two supporters of his Working People's Alliance were charged with arson for the firebombings of a government and PNC offices three days earlier, which resulted in a violent clash between political factions.[6] During the clash, Darke, a bystander, was stabbed to death [6] by some of the rioters.[9][10] According to Jesuit author Malachi Martin, Darke was stabbed to death by a faction of Forbes Burnham partisans.[11] He was working part-time as a photographer for the Catholic Standard newspaper of Georgetown, Guyana.[12] According to a 2013 article in Kaieteur News, the target of the assassins may have been Father Andrew Morrison, the newspaper's editor.[13] Kaieteur News describes Morrison and the Catholic Standard in the 1980s as, "fighting against corruption and freedom of the press" that were "muffled" by the Burnham government.[13]
In July 1986, Washington and some of his key associates were charged with the murder of Darke.[2] After pleading guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter, Washington received a fifteen-year prison sentence.[2]
References
[edit | edit source]- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ a b c d Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ a b c d e f g Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ a b c Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ a b c Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ a b Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
Sources
[edit | edit source]- Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).