Unknown people in France have vandalised a memorial stone for the victims of the 1094 genocide against the Tutsis.

In 2024, the memorial stone was installed in the gardens of the town hall  in the  City of Rouen.

The plaque was on Wednesday April 15 torn from its base.

This barbaric incident was carried out in a period Rwandans back home and abroad are marking Kwibuka32 commemorating the 1994 genocide against Tutsi which claimed over a million lives.

The national mourning period runs from April 7 to July 4 (Liberation Day), with the first week dedicated to intensive, national commemorations.

The mayor (Socialist Party) of Rouen, Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol, has condemned the vandalism.

“What a disgrace! ” Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol reacted, specifying that the City would be filing a complaint.

Nicolas also offered his support to the entire Rwandan community.

“Memorials and monuments are not mere symbols: they embody history, memory, and the pursuit of truth. To desecrate them is to attempt to erase what must, on the contrary, be passed on and preserved,” Ibuka France Association said in a statement.

Olivier Gatera, a member of the board of directors of Ibuka France, said, “Genocide denial messages and hate speech are rampant on social media. For us, there is a clear correlation between these remarks and acts against memorial sites.”

Ibuka France association is calling for a legal condemnation of this desecration committed in Rouen. It is considering joining the complaint that Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol will be filing.

” If this act goes unpunished, it sends a message to the perpetrators to continue, ” adds Olivier Gatéra.

” Once the initial shock has passed, the monument must also be repaired. The vandalized text has meaning. We must reaffirm the memory of the genocide against those who want to erase it. Our association’s work is not finished. “