We start our Genocide Education with Gregory Stanton's 10 Stages of Genocide.
I'll be explaining what happens at each stage and sharing examples from the Genocide against t the Tutsi, and the Holocaust
But first, a few notes:
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Furthermore, one stage doesn't stop the moment another begins. All of them remain operational throughout the genocidal process
It is fundamental human behavior to distinguish people by various categories (race, religion, political affiliation, gender, nationality, economic class...).
This in itself is not a bad thing, because it helps people have a structured understanding of society
In the case of Rwanda, this would have meant promoting a national identity, that trascended the Hutu, Tutsi & Twa
Again, symbolization is universally human. It's a visual representation of one's identity (like the Rwandan umushanana, or the Jewish Star of David).
But when coupled with genocidal intent, these symbols quickly become am instrument of hate, or of dehumanization
At this stage, the dominant group uses an array of tools at its disposal (laws, customs, political power) to roll back or even completely suppress the rights of the oppressed group(s)
In Nazi Germany, the 1935 Nuremberg Laws stripped Jews of their citizenship
In Rwanda, discrimination was institutionalized by the Kayibanda regime
This denied many Tutsi education and employment opportunities
The Rohingya's rights to freedom of movement, state education and civil service jobs are also restricted.
The dominant group uses various methods to deny the humanity of the oppressed group, often equating members of the latter group to animals, insects, vermin, diseases...
This often happens under the guise of "free speech" and through heavy media propaganda.
The Dallaire "Genocide Fax" of 11 Jan 1994 detailed the existence of Interahamwe training for the purpose of killing Tutsi, the existence of kill lists and that of weapons caches. It was never acted on. More here bit.ly/2XlicJS
It is at this stage that the "Final Solution" for the targeted group is planned.
Planners use cloaked language like "purification" and "ethnic cleansing" (both favorites of Slobodan Milosevic) to hide their true intention: Genocide!
Hannah Arendt wrote a book about the latter's trial (Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil). Find it here bit.ly/34naFvn
He's still running from justice
The dominant group erodes the oppressed group's right even more by intensifying discriminatory measures like symbolization, expropriating the group's property, deportations to prison camps or remote, famine-struck regions, etc.
The Tutsi endured many of these massacres
1963
The 1964 reprisal killings against a Tutsi refugee incursion
The 1973 massacres of Tutsi students and professors (mostly)
The 1991 torture and killings os suspected "ibyitso"
The 1991 Bagogwe massacres
The 1992 protest massacres against the Arusha Peace Accords
It's at this stage that the genocide begins. Given that Genocide is often state sponsored, armed forces often work with militias to carry out killings.
Given also that Genocide is an intemt to exterminate an entire group of people, only swift, overwhelming
Notice that genocidal forces never use the word Genocide
This stage begins with the Genocide itself and always follows it. Perpetrators do everything to deny their crimes.
They try to hide evidence by burning the bodies of victims (as was the practice in several Nazi death camps). Theybdeny they committed any crimes and
Those brought to justice often resort to witness intimidation. There documented instances of this occurring during the Gacaca and ICTR trials
The Turkish government has yet to acknowledge the Armenian Genocide, there are still neo-nazis who deny the Holocaust ever happened. And we Rwandans are confronted on a daily with the most outrageous theories & claims
1. Justice provides accountability, despite denial
2. Creating truth commissions that provide incentives for perpetrators to confess (as was done with Gacaca)
3. Making comprehensive genocide education a part of the
4. Lobby for laws criminalizing denial and revisionism to act as a deterrent for deniers.
5. And on an individual level: Educating ourselves as much as possible about the history of the Genocide, making efforts to collect and document it through whatever
This is the end of my thread.
Tomorrow we discuss the Continuum of Violence, which focuses more on behaviors, societal and cultural factors that make Genocide possible