Tutti Religion

The Catholic church played a tremendous role in the classification between the Tutsi and Hutu. The Hutu and Tutsi were very similar people. They spoke the same language, had the same religion, and also practiced similar cultures. This made the distinction of the two groups very challenging (Straus 20). The Catholic Church may have played a role in the splitting of the Hutu and Tutsi. Religion played a huge role in the way people thought and acted (Straus 20). The Germans used physicality to scrutinize the Rwandans to determine which class they belonged with (Center for Human Rights). The Hutu and Tutsi have always been segregated in some way or another. Originally, the Tutsi belonged in the higher class. The Hutu were in the lower

social class (Straus 20). Religion and culture were the major dividing factors between the Hutu and Tutsi and thus made it difficult for either side to respect the other.
The Tutsi and Hutu shared the same religion, culture, and language but still were able to classify between one another. The Europeans used I.D. cards and physical characteristics of the Rwandans to differentiate between the Hutu and Tutsi. They felt it was an easy way to identify the people (Center for Human Rights). Because the Germans made it easy to identify the Hutu and Tutsi the process to start discrimination was very quick (Center for Human Rights). Specific words such as Hutu and Tutsi were outlawed in Burundi during the 1980s but code-words simply replaced them (Stanton). One way to combat symbolization is to legally prohibit hate symbols. Hate speech and group marking such as gang clothing and tribal scarring shout be outlawed as well (Stanton). Miniscule differences between these two groups made massive divides allowing for hatred and discrimination to flourish.
During the stages of dehumanization, the Tutsi were thought of as pests, diseases and animals, which needed to be killed. The perpetrators often time tortured many victims before killing them. Many bodies were disposed in the Kangera River. The bodies were found mutilated, headless, or with their hands tied behind their backs (United States Looking Back). The first newspaper, the Kangera, was published after the defeat of the Rwandan Patriotic Front in 1990 (Human Rights Watch). The word “Tutsi” got replaced with inyenzi, which is defined as an “annoying domestic animal that is harmful to the population” (Cruvellier 61). “Messages of hate were broadcast over the radio, encouraging the killings of Tutsi and opponents to the Hutu regime. The messages portrayed Tutsis as evil cockroaches and rats” (Center for Human Rights). Because the Tutsi were looked upon as lesser than, dehumanization became increasingly easy and the systematic extermination and mutilation of these people became more prominent in daily life.
Multiple days of preparation allowed the Rwandan militias to methodically establish a system for mass executions.

At the start of organization, there was only a small circle of military and political leaders in favor of the executions. However, at their dispense they had command of the three most elite military groups (Cohen). Soldiers from within the Rwandan army began creating “death squads” and “death lists” within secret organizations designed to exterminate the Tutsi (Straus 26). There were training camps outside of Kigali to train new soldiers. “Inside of these camps, individuals were taught to kill, with an emphasis on killing at speed, and cutting the achilles heel in order to prevent people from escaping” (Cohen 32). The Rwandan government increased their army from 3,000 to 40,000 in the years of 1990 to 1992. Because of the civil war in 1990 officials didn’t take the time to examine important records. If they would have, officials may have expected a genocide was being planned (Cohen 31). As the Hutu took over the reins of power in the Rwandan government, the ability to oppress and torture innocent civilians due to their deemed status or classification saw little resistance as the only alternative was

death.
Referring to the Tutsi people as inhuman, whether in school or through propaganda, made it easier for friends and families to kill one another without remorse and polarized the groups even further. On the evening of April 6, 1994, President Habyarimana’s plane was shot down. Many accusations were made that the plane was shot down by the Tutsi (Human Rights Watch). However, some researchers think the president's own supporters carried out the attack. This is said because the Hutu did not want their president, Habyarimana, to negotiate a peace agreement with the Tutsi (Center for Human Rights). The apparent hostility between the two groups following the first attacks by the Hutu made polarization between the groups very strong (Human Rights Watch). Journalists took a major role in spreading the hate of the Tutsi. The radio stations would give names out, color of vehicles, license plate numbers, and the people they were traveling with. This was done to get other Hutu to join in the fighting (Cruvellier 61). Modern advancements in technology and media provided a needed catalyst to encourage the Hutu in committing such atrocities.