On December 28th 2015 a group of around 40 people from Burundi, Rwanda, Congo and the UK came together in London’s Trafalgar Square to mark the 15th anniversary of the Titanic Express massacre.
Campaigners lit candles, laid flowers and held placards beside the Burundian Embassy in London’s Trafalgar Square. They also took part in a campaign action led by Amnesty International to highlight the killings that have taken place in Burundi this year. The vigil was supported by a choir from the UK Congolese Banyamulenge community who sang a number of songs at the event.
Margot Wilson, mother of Charlotte Wilson, the only British victim of the Titanic Express massacre spoke, The full speech worth reading is here, but this is an extract.
” Today we come here not only to ask for justice for the victims of the Titanic Express massacre but to ask that the ongoing killings in Burundi come to a stop.
I should like to highlight two things.
One that by taking sanctuary in this country can some of those who have fled Burundi have a safe haven from which to campaign for justice in their country. As we face the greatest refugee crisis since 1945, it is important that Britain remains able to welcome refugees who will eventually be able to do something about the situation which led them to flee their country of origin
Secondly, following the genocide in Rwanda, where the international community stood by and did nothing to stop mass killing, people have felt that this must not happen again. The theory of a responsibility to protect was developed. This means that it is possible to send in a peace -keeping force without waiting for the agreement of the government in power. It looks as though the African Union is prepared to do just that.
So, there is hope. We light these candles to represent that hope. Charlotte’s grave in a village outside London bears the inscription, taken from a description of her by her fiance “Elle est une sorte de lumière qui eclaire ma nuit”
Whenever girls are educated, whenever murderers are stopped in their tracks, we light a candle in the darkness.
You can read more detail and find out more on the Alliance for Justice website.