THE GUARDIAN: Decision to honour Barack and Michelle Obama criticised by religious groups amid row over US impact on Middle EastBestowing an honour on America's first black president might seem an uncontroversial choice for post-apartheid South Africa. But what was good enough for the Nobel peace prize committee is just the latest trigger for acrimony in the polarised city of Cape Town.
Its decision to grant president Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, the freedom of the city has provoked a growing backlash from rival parties, churches, Muslim groups and trade unions, who branded it a "political gimmick".
They warn that if the couple ever set foot in Cape Town to accept the award, they will be greeted by mass protests drawing attention to America's human rights record. » | David Smith, Libreville, Gabon | Monday, June 11, 2012
