Silent march to commemorate millions killed in Rwanda

Martin Banks

Belgium (Brussels Morning Newspaper), The EU paid its respects to the many lives lost in the Rwanda genocide in which about a million pe people were slaughtered.

The weekend – Sunday 7 April – marked the 30th commemoration of the genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda. 

On Sunday, to commemorate that tragedy and to send the message „Never Again“, scores of people participated in a silent march from Place Royale to Place Poelaerts in Brussels.

On what Brussels called “this solemn, tragic occasion” the European Union joined the Rwandan nation and its people in the remembrance of the over 1 million men, women, and children who were murdered in a campaign of deliberate atrocities.

The EU expressed its “solidarity with the families and friends of the victims whose loss endures today.”

A statement read, “The EU honors the survivors and their families, whose daily bravery and resilience in the face of this horror, continues to inspire the world. What the people of Rwanda have achieved over three decades in their national journey towards unity, reconciliation, justice, and the preservation of the memory of the Genocide against the Tutsi, is a lesson to the rest of the world.”

It goes on, “The transformation of Rwanda ever since in terms of governance, economic recovery, social cohesion and development is a remarkable achievement. The EU will continue to stand by the people of Rwanda and its transformation journey.”

The EU, in its statements, said it reiterates its “unwavering commitment to the prevention of genocide and any crime against humanity across the world and to ensure full accountability.”

“The EU stresses the importance of a united and sustained effort by the international community to learn the painful lessons of the past, and do the utmost to thwart the repetition of any such abomination, including by rejecting and fighting against xenophobia, as well as any forms of discrimination and hate speech targeting persons belonging to national, ethnic, racial or religious groups.”

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Brussels Morning is a daily online newspaper based in Belgium. BM publishes unique and independent coverage on international and European affairs. With a Europe-wide perspective, BM covers policies and politics of the EU, significant Member State developments, and looks at the international agenda with a European perspective.
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Martin Banks is an experienced British-born journalist who has been covering the EU beat (and much else besides) in Brussels since 2001. Previously, he had worked for many years in regional journalism in the UK and freelanced for national titles. He has a keen interest in foreign affairs and has closely followed the workings of the European Parliament and MEPs in particular for some years.
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