Over 140 scholars protest Cambridge University invitation of Genocide revisionist Judi Rever

More than 140 scholars expressed their displeasure at seeing the prestigious institution intent on giving a platform to a notorious genocide revisionist, Judi River

More than 140 scholars, scientists, researchers, journalists, and historians worldwide have a written an open letter to Professor Stephen Toope, Vice Chancellor of the University of Cambridge, expressing their displeasure at seeing the prestigious institution intent on giving a platform to a notorious genocide revisionist, Judi River.

University of Cambridge is one of the top public universities in Cambridge, United Kingdom. Rever who is scheduled to speak at the University of Cambridge Centre for Geopolitics on April 21 is a Canadian journalist and author of the book "In Praise of Blood" which peddles the ‘double genocide’ myth, an idea introduced and spread by perpetrators of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsiand their supporters.

The signatories to the open letter express their grave concern at the decision by Cambridge University to give a platform to a known denier of the 1994 Genocide, while no opportunity is being provided to challenge such views. In their open letter, they reminded that: “This double genocide myth has been shown by countless reports, scholars, journalists, court proceedings and visual evidence to have absolutely no basis in fact.”

Giving Rever a platform is part of a mounting campaign to minimise and distort the historical truth. While claiming to be doing serious journalistic investigative work, Rever relies on unsubstantiated and anonymous witnesses,  testimonies and quotes from unauthenticated documents apparently obtained from a ‘secret unit’ at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda,  with content used by defence lawyers. 

Her work is in no way peer reviewed and she provides not the slightest evidence for her sensationalist accusations while ignoring a wealth of testimony and accessible material – the concrete evidence built up over the past 27 years by scholars,  journalists and  witnesses that has been tested in courtrooms and in solid academic debate and publications.”

They were shocked that the University has chosen to give a platform to the author of a book that peddles arguments used in a 27-year campaign of genocide denial and revision.

They also noted that the University of Cambridge Centre for Geopolitics – with no African, let alone Rwandan member on its 50-strong staff, management committee, and International Advisory Board – has shown a reckless disregard for upholding factual historical accuracy and debate. African issues and lives are again being treated with a flagrant disregard by the University of Cambridge that promotes itself as a global leader in truth and honesty.

The petitioners concluded by warning that the upset university's decision causes the survivors of the 1994 genocide, some of whom are studying at the University, is incalculable. "In the circumstances of the Holocaust this would be unthinkable. By promoting the conspiracy theories of Judi Rever, you have given the impression of support for negationism and denial.”

They requested the Vice-chancellor of Cambridge University to reconsider the decision of giving a platform to Rever and her views. Through his tweeter account, Professor Phil Clark, Professor of International Politics at SOAS University of London wrote: “100 academics & journalists sign open letter against the @CamGeopolitics decision to give Judi Rever a platform to peddle double genocide myth & other egregious revisions of the genocide against the Tutsi.”

Likewise, British investigative journalist and writer Linda Melvern, condemned this shameful embrace of revisionist Rever. She said: “The genocide denial promoted by Judi Rever is old and familiar emerged in April 1994 as the genocidaires tried to hide the true nature of their crime from the outside world. It is the same denial used in their trials in desperate attempts to prove the killing ‘spontaneous’

Dr Allan T. More, Lecturer in Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of West of Scotland, wrote: “astonishing that a genocide revisionist/conspiracy theorist is being given a platform by any university, let alone Cambridge. Make no mistake, this constructed validation by such an institution continues hurt and trauma felt by survivors of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi.”

Rwandan genocide researcher Tom Ndahiro said: Inviting Judi Rever at a reputable University of Cambridge is entertaining genocidal agenda,” while Dr Piotr Cieplak, Senior Lecturer at University of Essex, blasted the planned event in which Rever will speak.

He wrote: “I have signed the open letter against giving platform to denial and revisionism of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda. Not to mention another exclusively white panel on Africa. I hope my alma mater @cambridge_uni acts swiftly.” Organisations of genocide survivors both in Rwanda and abroad also wrote an open letter to the Cambridge Centre for Geopolitics condemning the invitation of Rever.

They reminded the centre that: “Far from being about ‘freedom of speech’, giving Rever a platform is simply enabling her to perpetuate opinions that are both factually errant and morally repugnant. It is wrong to do so by a University which has built a reputation as a global beacon of rigorous, intellectual discussion. Instead, we find an astonishing failure by the University organizers to understand the impact of the conspiracy theories of this journalist. ”

“We survivors of the Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda in 1994, strongly urge the University of Cambridge not to give this platform to the most abhorrent kind of revisionism and conspiracy theories that seek to overturn proven facts.” Judge Carmel Agius, President of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT), or the Mechanism, on April 7, bashed deniers of the 1994 Genocide, saying they will stop at nothing in attempts to erase or revise the past.

He said: "If we are not vigilant, the tiniest of untruths that is allowed to go unchallenged will multiply and spread, and become even more difficult to rectify in the future. "Therefore, all right-thinking people must counter the misguided arguments  of  the  genocide  deniers  with  equal,  if  not  greater  intensity  to  ensure  that  the  truth prevails  and  lessons  are  learned."