The Mayor of Paris Anne Hildago has called on the city’s police to stop the French-Congolese musician Maitre Gims’ concert, scheduled for April 7 at the Accor Arena, citing concerns over its timing and potential public order disturbances. The City of Paris released a statement on March 25, emphasising that the choice of April 7 was particularly ill-chosen as it coincides with the International Day of Reflection on the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda. According to the statement, Rwandan Ambassador to France, François Nkulikiyimfura, the President of Ibuka France, Marcel Kabanda, the President of the Rwandan community in France, Christophe Renzaho, and Tubeho Family, an association of survivors of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, on March 7 alerted the alerted Mayor of Paris, questioning the artist’s choice of date for the charity concert dubbed ‘Solidarity Congo’ at the Accor Arena in Paris on April 7. ALSO READ: Solidarity or subversion? The disturbing reality behind the April 7 Solidarité Congo concert While the event’s stated goal—supporting child victims of the conflict in eastern Congo—may seem noble, the Rwandan Community in France (CRF) claims that it is definitely not the case. The statement further notes that Given the existing tensions between the Rwandan and Congolese communities in Paris—resulting from the situation in the Great Lakes region—as well as the Holocaust denial remarks made by certain artists scheduled for this concert, the Mayor of Paris believes that holding this concert on this date is likely to cause disturbances to public order. French-Congolese musician Gims, the organiser of the concert is accused of spreading anti-Rwanda tropes and hate speech against the Tutsi. His concert would take place in a context of renewed hate speech and persecution of Congolese Tutsi, at the hands of groups like the genocidal FDLR, a DR Congo-based terrorist militia by remnants of the masterminds of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. ALSO READ: A look at trends of genocide denial among creatives Hateful exchanges and comments made against Rwandans on social media in connection with the announcement of this concert confirmed, in the eyes of the City of Paris, the need to cancel the concert if it were to be held on that date, the statement reads. For its part, UNICEF, the UN child protection agency to which the proceeds were to be donated, announced that it refused to be associated with this event, the statement adds. ALSO READ: UNICEF distances self from April 7 Paris concert The organisers of the concert had offered to donate the proceeds from the event to UNICEF for support for Congolese children. The organisation, however, distanced itself from the concert. UNICEF Rwanda also issued a separate statement clarifying its stance, UNICEF will not receive any proceeds from the event and no person associated with UNICEF is part of the concert.
