International
Do Australians gain from sheltering Rwandan genocide ideologues, deniers?
Rwandans
around the world, including members of Ibuka, the umbrella association of
survivors of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, have petitioned the Speaker
of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland, Australia, urging him not to give a
platform to Genocide deniers there.
In
their online petition addressed to Curtis Pitt, Speaker of
the Queensland Parliament, the Rwandan-Australian community, express deep concern
and “strongest objection” to the use of the Queensland Parliament Hall by a
group who refer to themselves as “Rwandan Association of Queensland Inc [RAQ]”
for the event themed “Never Again, Annual Rwanda Genocide Commemoration” set
for Saturday, May 7.
Members
of the “rogue group” are known to be vocal propagating the double genocide
theory, a form of genocide denial.
“Their
commitment to falsely propagating an alternative narrative, that the events of
1994 were not a genocide against the Tutsi, rather a genocide against both
Tutsi and Hutu, reflect a clear case of genocide revisionism,” reads part of
the petition.
The
petitioners note that the “tacit support for this event, demonstrated by
hosting this formal function on the grounds of Queensland Parliament House,”
reflect a continuation of genocide, in the final stage of genocide, which is
denial.
“It's
absurd for the Parliament of the State of Queensland to be a bystander to
Genocide denial and to offer their parliament premises to be a platform for
people who [openly] claim to be Interahamwe (militia) well
knowing the role of Interahamwein the Genocide against Tutsi in
Rwanda in 1994,” Evariste Ngenzi, chairperson of the Rwandan Diaspora of New
South Wales, told The New Times Thursday, May 5.
A
video of some men chanting "we are Interahamwe of peace and love"
recently made rounds on social media platforms.
One
of those men is the leader of RAQ, Theogene Ngabo, and the other is Raphael
Hakizimana. Both men, and others in their group, are advocates of double
genocide theory.
British
journalist and leading author on the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, Linda
Melvern, has shed light on some of the most common and obvious forms of genocide denial. These include the genocide
perpetrators and their backers blaming the victims.
The
petitioners in Australia state “unequivocally” that there can be no legitimate
case for the commemoration on May 7 and that any effort to do so stands in
contravention to the UN resolution, Australia’s stated support, and the
international consensus reached.
On
January 26, 2018, the United Nations officially adopted the title to mark April
7 as the International Day of Reflection on the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi
in Rwanda.
The
1994 Genocide against the Tutsi which was systematically planned through
decades of dehumanization, segregation in education and labour and pre-genocide
massacres, is a fact of history. On April 7, in his message to mark the 28th
commemoration of the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi, UN Secretary-General António
Guterres said the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi was neither an accident nor unavoidable.
While
countering a case of genocide denial in the UK, Rwandan envoy
there, Johnston Busingye, on April 21, noted how the Rwandan genocidal regime –
in the 1990s – which was married to ethnic extremism, hatred and division,
spread the vile Anti-Tutsi propaganda, drew up the names of Tutsi families,
imported vast quantities of weapons and mobilised militia to kill in advance of
the Genocide.
These
are all well-established facts and the Genocide against the Tutsi is recognised
by the United Nations, Governments, International Law and courts, Busingye
said.
“The
planned event (in Australia) not only falls outside of the recognised and
sanctioned dates and time set aside by international consensus, but most
significantly the intention for the Kwibuka (remembrance), to mark the
anniversary of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda,” reads the
petition to the Speaker of Queensland Parliament.
“We
endorse the ongoing efforts by diplomatic missions and communities
internationally to combat the rising genocide denial across the world.”
The
petitioners share the view that, “denial is part of genocide” and see it as
their responsibility to raise awareness and advocate for justice.
“Further,
we raise serious concern that genocide denial, double genocide theory, and
genocide revisionism contravene the Australian Racial Discrimination Act. As is
the case for the denial of the Jewish Holocaust, neither the Act nor any other
Australian law expressly prohibit Holocaust denial.”
However,
they note, section 18C provides that it is unlawful for a person [or group] to
publicly “do an act” that is reasonably likely to “offend, insult, humiliate or
intimidate” a person or group of people, if “the act is done because of the
race, colour, or national or ethnic origin” of the person or group.
Aussies’
‘ignorance dangerous’
Asked
what she makes of the problem of Genocide deniers being given a platform in the
country, Frida Umuhoza, a survivor and author living in Melbourne,
told The New Times “that ignorance of those who give them time
or a place to propagate their deadly ideology is more dangerous than they can
imagine.”
Umuhoza
said this ignorance by Australian people and politicians is not only dangerous
“for us as survivors but also for the Australian communities.”
She
added: “We all know that any genocide that has happened in any part of the
world, including the Genocide against the Tutsi, has 10 stages and the last one
is denying it. The people who deny it are as bad as those who committed it.
Denial is a very calculated stage; and they do it in away that’s as painful as
possible.”
Genocide
denial has many faces, Umuhoza said, noting that they include: those who
committed the Genocide against the Tutsi who live in Australia and try to
reverse the roles. “By this I mean perpetrators call themselves survivors or
victims and call those who survived perpetrators.”
Other
faces of Genocide denial include those who try to intimidate survivors “who
live here in Australia, to silence us” and those who try to “deform our
character.”
“They
do all they can to stop our annual (Genocide) commemorations. They target
the Kwibuka period to utter their ugly lies in order to divert
the attention from what commemoration actually mean to us survivors, Rwandans,
and the world.”
‘Rogue
group recognised as double genocides advocates’
The
petitioners argue that a potential Queensland government hosted and sanctioned
event, for “a rogue group recognised as double genocides advocates” stands to
“offend”, “insult”, “humiliate” and “intimidate”, and cause further harm to a
community of Rwandan Australians still in the process of healing.
They
are urging lawmakers in the Queensland Parliament respectfully to reconsider
and cancel the group’s event on parliamentary grounds.
They
note that groups who reach out to government in such a fashion to organise what
appear to be “official” commemorations seek to co-opt Government, unknowingly,
as deliberate attempts to “formalise” and “legitimate” their agenda, namely a
counter narrative around genocide revisionism.
“We
urge that you act in accordance with Australia’s expressed commitment and
International consensus, and in light of the deep pain and suffering that
efforts to deny the 1994 Genocide in Rwanda cause members of the Rwandan
diaspora community in Australia (particularly the Tutsi minority and including
also those Hutu and others who opposed and suffer in solidarity with us).”
One
immediate solution offered is for the Queensland Government to review its terms
of reference for engaging with the Australian Rwandan Community.
“We
would suggest this could best be done via consultation with both the Honorary
Consul-General, The Republic of Rwanda in the Commonwealth of Australia and the
High Commissioner, Republic of Rwanda in Singapore, along with community
Elders. We are relying on your leadership, understanding, and swift action on
this issue.”
Australia
is known to have become a den of Genocide fugitives, deniers and subversive groups
that are against the government of Rwanda. In October 2020, Rwandans living in
Australia condemned claims by a compatriot from such groups who
alleged he was threatened by the Rwandan government.
The
group, RAQ, is a registered association of Rwandans, most of whom are former
refugees relocated to Australia as a third country on a tripartite arrangement
with the UNHCR.
Most
of them, analysts say, are nostalgic of the Rwandan genocidal regime and are
driven by the ethnic division ideology.
“They
have taken their children hostage. Unfortunately, most of their children were
born in exile or were of tender age when they left Rwanda! This rogue group
sympathises with anyone who is against the current government of Rwanda because
they are impatiently waiting for the collapse of the current leadership in
Rwanda, so as to be able to come back to Rwanda,” another Rwandan living in Australia
told The New Times.
During
the FLN trial, Major Callixte Nsabimana, alias Sankara, testified that his
militia group received $10,000 contribution Australian members and supporters.
Asked
what she thinks can be done to end the activities of Genocide deniers in
Australia, Umuhoza noted that “unfortunately, Australia has become a safe
heaven for those who committed the crime not only in my country Rwanda but to
humanity.”
“What
I think is needed at the moment is raising more awareness through educating the
public and communities. As well as using the same channel as them to create
awareness, mostly social media, and for survivors to write their stories to be
read by Australians in order to teach what actually happened to more than one
million Tutsi who were killed in those 100 days.”
Source:
www.newtimes.co.rw