The largest den of deniers of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi is about to be shaken – really hard. Most are affiliated with the Habyarimana regime and it is therefore not surprising since they are no longer enjoying the trappings of power and all that comes with it. Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel had some very chilling news tailor-made for them; within one month, their parliament is expected to pass new legislation to criminalise denial of the Genocide against the Tutsi. Many European countries, especially Belgium, France, and to a lower extent, The Netherlands, have been havens for perpetrators of the Genocide who seem driven by the urge to poison public opinion and drag Rwanda in the mud. Their main weapon was pushing forward their own narrative, especially through denial, so the Prime Minister’s statement must have put them on panic mode and they are now running in circles. It will be interesting to see how they will be navigating around the legislation, but make no doubt about it; the hate they carry with them will give them sleepless nights finding means to propagate their crooked narratives. The Belgian decision should be emulated by other countries in order to completely uproot the Genocide ideology and denial. They could begin by removing from the shelves the many books and other publications written by so-called academics, journalists, researchers and “Rwanda experts”. Many have never even set foot in Rwanda and rely on perpetrators of the Genocide as their sources of news and research papers. As long as those publications are not removed out of circulation, the poison will continue to linger in the air.
