23 September 2024
48 Dead, Reserve Bank Headquarters Burns in Riots in Nuvrenon
NUVRENON (TavariFax)– Forty-eight people are dead and the headquarters of the Reserve Bank of the Tavari Union are burning to the ground after a massive crowd of angry rioters burst through police cordons and onto Palace Square in response to the Emperor’s announcement today of the creation of 20 new Tavari Lines for the Rodokan tribes. The Royal Tavari Army—not the Royal Tavari Marshalls, the military branch ordinarily charged with maintaining civil order—announced that it had “several dozen” people in custody, while the Rodokan National Police and the Nuvrenon Police Department both announced they had been overrun by rioters and unable to prevent the onslaught. Both agencies reported having officers fall in the line of duty, as did the Nuvrenon Fire Department and the Ministry of Culture, Tourism, and Sport’s Bureau of Heritage Sites Protection, which has never before had an officer lose their life in the line of duty. Rioters burst through barricades erected in three places in Nuvrenon’s central business district, and witnesses at each site reported apparent surrenders by Royal Tavari Marshalls, leaving the angry demonstrators to run through with little resistance. Only at the boundary of the Square did the crowds meet true opposition from the Army and the Rodokan National Police, who have been responsible for security in the Square since February’s attempted assassination of the Emperor by a soldier of the Marshalls.
The headquarters of the Reserve Bank of the Tavari Union, which sits directly on the Square opposite Government Centre One and next to the gate to the Royal Palace, were closed for regular business by the time of the riot but had apparently been occupied by at least a few remaining employees when angry rioters set fire to it at around 6:30PM, not long after pushing their way onto the Square. The Nuvrenon Fire Department reports that “about 10” people were evacuated from the building, but that “6 people tragically lost their lives in the fire.” As of press time, the fire was still burning and the Nuvrenon Fire Department was still engaged in efforts to bring it under control. A spokesperson for the Fire Department stated that “at least the bottom two storeys of the building are a total loss.”
Rioters were unable to breach Government Centre One, home to the office of the Prime Minister and various government agencies, due to the Army presence there, nor were they able to breach the gate to the Palace, protected by a multi-agency task force of the Nuvrenon Police Department, the Rodokan National Police, and the Public Safety Administration of Greater Ilarís. Speaking jointly on behalf of all the agencies present, Rodokan National Police spokesperson Cpt. Toomas Selano Rüütel said “At approximately quarter past six this evening, a crowd of rioters, estimated around two to three hundred people, forced their way into Palace Square and immediately attacked the law enforcement presence there. In addition to setting a fire at the Reserve Bank building, they attacked the positions at the Palace gate and Government Centre One. Fourteen officers of our various agencies have died in the line of duty tonight, many of them trampled to death. Deployment of non-lethal countermeasures failed due to many of the rioters wearing gas masks, and lethal measures were deployed. Twenty-seven rioters were killed, and several dozen were arrested by various agencies.”
In addition to the riot at Palace Square, violent demonstrations broke out at Queen Melora Park and the King Zaram IV Exposition Centre—the so-called “demonstration zones” that had been established as the officially sanctioned place for citizens to protest against the Emperor’s announcement. At Queen Melora Park, a civilian officer of the Bureau of Heritage Sites Protection died after being assaulted by a rioter, who was heard by several witnesses to shout “Death to Otan!” and who called the Emperor a “traitor to Tavaris.” One witness at Queen Melora Park, who gave their name as Vedra, said “A crowd of them poured out of a van and just swarmed everyone in a uniform they saw, it was the most violent thing I’ve ever seen in my life.”
Emperor Otan and Prime Minister Žarís Nevran Alandar, who have been relocated to an “undisclosed, secure location in the capital,” issued a joint statement condemning the violence and calling for peace. “We cannot let this senseless rage to overtake us. We cannot allow this disgusting violence to entrench itself in our society and our hearts. None of this was necessary. No one had to die. All of these people should be at home, safe, with their families. Dozens of families are broken forever tonight, as are hearts and souls across our country and across the world. This is not the way to express discontent. Know that violence is unacceptable, and our officers of law enforcement will use the full extent of their authority and capability to stop violence and seek out and apprehend those who would use violence for political aims. This is entirely unacceptable, and the perpetrators of this violence have scarred our society and our hearts for a generation, if not forever. We implore the people of Tavaris to return to their homes and be safe.”
The Prime Minister has declared a “national security event” in Nuvrenon, deploying the Royal Tavari Army to the streets of the city and even scrambling aircraft in the skies. An immediate curfew has been declared, and hovercraft ferry service between the capital and Nakaš across the Strait of Kings has been suspended, as have all flights in and out of King Kanor Intercontinental Airport and all local train services. Several hundred people are gathered at commuter train stations across Nuvrenon Province, unable to return to their homes as ordered by the curfew, with the Nuvrenon Police Department reporting that “individuals at train stations unable to return home will not be arrested for violation of the curfew but will be asked to remain at the train station until limited runs of trains can be arranged securely to get them home.” People at various train stations across the city report chaos, panic, and fear. Tevri Qovani Merelda, 27, at Subittai Station, said “There’s two hundred people packed into this lobby that could fit maybe fifty, no food, no water, kettled in here by police officers with rifles and helmets, we have no idea when we’ll be able to get home, everyone is crying, there’s people in the corners having panic attacks. It’s mass hysteria.”
At Nevrani Pier, docking point for the Nevrani Court Ferry Company running hovercraft between the capital and Nakaš, several hundred residents of Nakaš and other southeastern coast cities are stranded, unable to return to their homes but also prevented from seeking hotel lodgings in Nuvrenon by soldiers of the Royal Tavari Army. One Nakaš resident, Golda, said “There seems to be a lack of communication between the Army and the police. One police officer wanted to let us go across the street and get some hotel rooms but a soldier just about shot us when took one step forward.” Another person who declined to give their name said “For a minute, we heard some chanting—they were chanting ‘One Thousand, One Hundred, and Fifty Two’—and the entire place burst into a panic, soldiers included. Now if anyone so much as coughs, the soldiers start pointing their guns. It’s absolute madness here.”
It is clear that the violence is being perpetrated by nationalist opponents of the Emperor’s announcement today declaring that the twenty ancient Rodokan tribes will now hold the status of Tavari Lines, granting them representation in the Tavari National Diet. The purple-black-and-white tricolour flag used by nationalists was seen flying at Palace Square, Queen Melora Park, and the Exposition Centre. One witness from the Exposition Centre who declined to be named said “I saw a crowd of people yelling ‘death to Otan’ run at a crowd of Marshalls at a barricade, and I swear, I saw the Marshalls shout it back. Then they just stood back and let the blokes with the nationalist flag run through their line and up toward the Square. Not until the day I die will I forget that sight. They just let them through.”
Maj. Kendra Oren Vabandra, a spokesperson for the Royal Tavari Marshalls, vehemently denied any cooperation between Marshalls and rioters. “The Royal Tavari Marshalls are brave warriors who put their lives on the line today and all days to preserve order and protect the people of Tavaris, as we have done since the Fourth Banian War. We are apolitical, and we certainly do not join in protests, nor do we surrender to charging rioters. We understand that violence is traumatic and during chaotic times, it can be easy to misunderstand what you are seeing. It is true that, in the face of unprecedented coordination of terrorist activity, Marshalls were at some points required to tactically advance backward in order to better secure their positions. It is also tragically true that at some locations, rioters were able to break through Marshall positions. We want to assure the Tavari people that we will investigate these lapses, but we are 144-per-gross committed to ensuring the safety of Nuvrenon and all the Tavari people.”
The Royal Tavari Army, in a written unsigned statement, said that “We are currently attempting to coordinate either a limited launch of ferries, possibly in coordination with the Navy, or to permit travellers stranded at the ferry docks to seek accommodation at hotels in Nuvrenon. However, it is unclear whether there are enough rooms available for all those who would seek one, and our primary goal is in securing the safety and security of the City and Province of Nuvrenon. It may be the case that some people may be asked to handle an evening of discomfort in the name of the security of all, and for that sacrifice, we thank the people who are cooperating with us today.” The Royal Tavari Navy did not respond to requests for comment.
At press time, there was also significant Tavari military presence in Lantaž, Rodoka, but no reported violence. Over Rodoka, Air Force jets and helicopters have been seen in the skies, and a curfew was declared at 7:30 PM local time (8:30 PM Tavari Mainland Time). Rodokan Presiding Chief Ivi Puna Laar issued a brief statement indicating she “had arrived in Sinajärv safety” and stating “With a broken heart, I condemn this violence and pray for the safety of Nuvrenon and all its people. All of us seek a world where we can live in fairness, in recognition of our ideals, values, and traditions. This violence will do nothing except beget more violence. I pray that our broken society finds healing, and I pray that it happens soon. All of our lives, no matter our political affiliation, depend on it.”