The term genocide is a bit grammatically fucked. Every other “cide” denotes the commission of the crime. Attempted homicide is categorically distinct from homicide per se.
For practical reasons, however, we call attempted extermination genocide, which I think confuses people. (It also brings up all the mens rea problems that plague any prosecution of attempted and ongoing crimes.)
I wouldn’t conclude someone is a denialist or racist or hate speaker just because they hesitate to call something a genocide. (I genuinely don’t know what that word means anymore apart from throwing up my hands and saying it’s whatever a clique of humanitarian organizations say it means.)
For practical reasons, however, we call attempted extermination genocide, which I think confuses people. (It also brings up all the mens rea problems that plague any prosecution of attempted and ongoing crimes.)
I wouldn’t conclude someone is a denialist or racist or hate speaker just because they hesitate to call something a genocide. (I genuinely don’t know what that word means anymore apart from throwing up my hands and saying it’s whatever a clique of humanitarian organizations say it means.)