Austria: Bakuramutsa calls for vigilance against genocide ideology

Rwanda’s Ambassador to Austria, Urujeni Bakuramutsa, has called for sustained vigilance against the early signs of genocide, warning that mass atrocities do not emerge without warnings, such as dehumanisation, hate speech. She made the remarks during the 32nd commemoration of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, observed in Austria through two ceremonies held in Vienna on April 9 and Innsbruck on April 11. ALSO READ: Diaspora youth preserve genocide memory and challenge misinformation “The 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda was not spontaneous. It was meticulously planned and executed by an identifiable chain of political and military command,” Bakuramutsa said. “Genocide does not begin with mass killing. It begins early and with consistent dehumanization, organized hate, tolerated incitement, and the dangerous normalization of violence.” ALSO READ: Rwandans in New Zealand commemorate Genocide against the Tutsi The Vienna ceremony featured remarks by UN officials. Yvonne Buhikare, a Genocide survivor, gave a testimony. In Innsbruck, Bakuramutsa welcomed the first Kwibuka commemoration held in Tyrol, commending the City of Innsbruck’s decision to establish a commemorative stele in honour of victims of the Genocide against the Tutsi, a gesture she described as proof that remembrance is a shared global responsibility. The Innsbruck ceremony brought together local officials, members of the Rwandan community, including survivors. Marie Kresbach Kabera, a survivor and author of Steh auf, mein Kind, und geh! (“Get up, my child, and walk!”), who shared her testimony of survival and healing.

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Austria: Bakuramutsa calls for vigilance against genocide ideology