King Leopold II of Belgium: 
A Conveniently Ignored & Forgotten Genocide

The methods employed by Leopold's regime to extract resources were characterised by unparalleled cruelty and a descent into genocidal lunacy. To enforce rubber quotas, the Force Publique would take women and children hostage, releasing them only when the men returned with the required amount. Villages that failed to meet quotas were often subjected to mass killings, rapes, and the burning of homes. 

A particularly horrific and systematic practice was the severing of hands. If a worker failed to meet their quota, or if bullets were deemed to have been "wasted" on hunting animals, the local Force Publique officer would demand the hands of the workers as proof that the bullets had been used correctly. 

Often, these hands were severed from living victims. 

The scale of this maiming was immense, leaving countless Congolese individuals permanently disabled and traumatised. Beyond the hands, other forms of mutilation, torture, and summary executions were commonplace. The deliberate destruction of Congolese social structures, the forced displacement of communities, and the widespread starvation and disease resulting from forced labour and disrupted agriculture further contributed to the catastrophic death toll. 

The sheer scale and systematic nature of this brutality, coupled with the intent to subjugate and exploit the Congolese population for personal gain, firmly place Leopold's rule within the context of genocide. 

Disturbingly, a tradition persists in Belgium to this day of serving Belgian chocolates in the shape of severed children's hands, a practice that many find deeply insensitive and a stark, albeit perhaps unintentional, reminder of the horrific mutilations inflicted upon the Congolese people under Leopold's brutal regime. This seemingly innocuous custom serves as a jarring juxtaposition to the immense suffering endured and highlights the ongoing disconnect between Belgium's present and its deeply troubling colonial past.