Desmond Tutu was banned from appearing at an April 2008 conference at the University of St. Thomas, due to allegations that he had previously made statements that were offensive to Jews. The primary allegation was that Tutu had compared Israel to Hitler in the following speech, given at the North American Friends of Sabeel Conference in Boston, MA, on 13 April 2002.
This allegation was made by numerous "pro-Israel" entities, such as the Zionist Organization of America, the David Project, David Horowitz, and the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
This unedited recording of Tutu's speech shows that he did not make the alleged statement. Instead, he gave an inspiring speech that was critical of Israel's occupation but was expressed with love for both Palestinians and Israelis, as well as a call for peace with justice.
Following public pressure, the ban was reversed.
The complete transcript of the speech is included below.
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