BY Laura Valenciano Arrieta
Imagine you make a savings plan to fund a genocide.
How much money must one accumulate in 2025 to make others look past the fact that they’re a genocidal psychopath?
What does one title the budgetary line destined to purchase another nation’s silence?
How often does one update the spreadsheet with the names and amounts of the politicians one has bought?
Is one playing it too safe by keeping the money in a traditional high-yield savings account? At what point should one consider riskier and more lucrative options instead?
How does one venture out to fundraise for their genocide? Which sympathizer nations should one appeal to first, second, or third? Does one create a Google Group with all of their emails, or simply schedule-send in bulk?
Can one write off genocidal propaganda for tax purposes?
Let’s talk genocidal financing
In the era of dystopian post-capitalism from hell that we have the misfortune of navigating, it seems we have all been rendered busy and tired.
So much so that the pain from witnessing cruelty may seem too heavy to handle.
And yet, we must make space to talk about how, in this day and age, someone can make ethnic cleansing palatable if they have enough money and power to do so.
Let’s take a minute to dissect what must align to ensure the continuation of inhumane abuse of power. At this point, I’m certain there are ordinary budget lines directed to sustaining genocides.
There are also covert budget lines, covert accounts, and off-the-books funds.
Secrecy, theft, and defunding of public resources.
Diversion of funds.
Enforced trade and economic sanctions.
There are parties full-on running as war economies.
There are parties too scared to say a word.
And everything else in between.
Don’t think for a minute that the only profitable aspects of ruthlessly murdering entire populations are those obtained from looting their homes, land, or resources once they are gone.
In fact, supplying violence is in itself a high-revenue endeavour through supplying tools of oppression such as weapons, ammo, surveillance tech, heavy-duty vehicles, uniforms, and equipment.
Let’s not forget the logistics and operational services, or military training services that can continue to be sold to the highest bidder for ages as they’ll certainly pay.
Corporations and States alike will line up to make a buck.
The system is broken, so what are we doing to tear it down?
We expose corporate complicity.
We advocate for targeted and smart sanctions.
We campaign for regulation around corporate transparency, forcing them all to disclose their supply chain and investments.
We boycott.
We divest.
We deny port access, block imports, and trafficking routes.
We protect those who protect others — those who whistleblow, those who raise their voice.
We document it all.
We look at it all.
We bear witness.
We take legal action over and over again.
We expose the cost of wars and genocides.
We denounce those who profit from suffering.
We produce and consume counter-narratives from the ground.
We demand humanitarian and development aid.
We write songs, paint murals, and make poetry.
We support conflict-free goods and services.
We file cases at regional and international courts.
We foster collaboration and coalitions.
We push for the ban of surveillance tools.
We follow and amplify voices in conflict zones.
We donate.
We fundraise and pool funds.
We restrict access to SWIFT and banking services.
We ground airplanes.
We try and try again.
Genocide is funded, and it can also be defunded.
Collective action is urgent.