Murder of Bernard Darke

On 14 July 1979 Bernard Darke, a British-born, Guyana-based Jesuit priest and photographer for the Catholic Standard, was stabbed to death by members of the House of Israel, a religious cult closely tied to the People's National Congress, while photographing Working People's Alliance demonstrations of the PNC.

[5][7] In 1979, Darke was a photographer for the Catholic Standard, a tabloid paper described as being "extremely critical" of the People's National Congress.

[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 14 July 1979 Walter Rodney and two supporters within his Working People's Alliance were charged with arson for the firebombings of a government and PNC offices three days earlier, resulting in a violent clash between political factions.

[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.