Tribune Movement

Tribune Movement Movimento Tribune (Vespasian) Pokret Tribunea (Novalian) Tribune Gibanje (Carinthian)
Leader	Francesco Carcaterra
President	Ettore Mantovano
Founded	13 March 2012
Merger of	National Action People's Radical Party Justice and Freedom Party
Headquarters	5-9 Viale di Augusto Romolo Vicalvi, Etruria
Student wing	Academic Tribune Movement
Youth wing	Tribunes of Tomorrow
Special Wing	Centurion Movement
Membership (2017)	1.89 million (2018)
Ideology	Right-wing Populism Anti-establishment Etrurian nationalism Direct-democracy
Religion	Solarian Catholic
Position	Right-wing to far-right
Colours	Red
Seats in the State Council	194 / 290
Seats in the Senate	401 / 680
State governments	2 / 3
State legislatures	2 / 3
Autonomous governments	3 / 4
Political parties

The Tribune Movement (TM; Vespasian: Movimento Tribune, stylised as "Movimento Tribvne"; Novalian: Pokret Tribunea; Carinthian: Tribune Gibanje) is a Right wing-populist political party in Etruria. It is the largest party in both the State Council of the Federation and the Senate of the Federation, it also controls two of the three state governments and two of the six autonomous governments. It is also the largest in membership, with 1.89 million members as of 2018. Since its founding, it has been led by Francesco Carcaterra who has been President of Etruria since 2016.

The Tribune Movement was founded in 2012 by a collection of disaffected politicians from the National Action, People's Radical Party and the Justice and Freedom Party. It was founded in response to the announcement by President Emiliano Reali that a referendum would be held on joining the Euclean Community. The Tribune Movement swiftly became the primary force in the No Campaign, drawing concerns over sovereignty, judicial supremacy and the supposed "undemocratic nature" of the bloc, while it also used nationalism, xenophobia and history of interaction between Etruria and EC member-states to oppose membership. On the 6 July 2016, "No" won 54.53% of the vote, resulting in the immediate resignation of Reali, his successor Andrea Salvini proved ineffective at regaining control of his Etrurian Federalist Party and the government collapsed. The Tribune Movement, leading the polls by over 20 points secured a landslide victory taking a majority in both houses, with Francesco Carcaterra becoming President.

Throughout 2016 and 2017, the MT government followed up on numerous electoral promises. It took to plebiscites to enforce controversial constitutional reforms, including the empowering of the executive, the reinstatement of capital punishment, closure of numerous bodies associated with the Euclean Community, an end to the "Prospective Membership Programme" which involved numerous reforms and policy changes and major policies regarding education, housing and healthcare. In 2018, the government began to introduce legislation aimed at reforming the judicial system, which has been condemned by some as a direct attack on judicial independence. This was followed by controversial reforms of education, making it illegal for academics to reference or argue that Etruria perpetrated war crimes during the Solarian War, removal of constraints against police violence, harsher prison sentences, empowerment of federal law enforcement and the introduction of a new census for Marolevic minorities.

The MT is variously considered populist, anti-establishment, right-wing nationalist and anti-globalist. Carcaterra has numerously praised and welcomed the "populist" description and has previously called populism the "tonic of the age." Other commentators have questioned its right-wing nature, arguing that its populism and nationalism drives more toward the right, its position on welfare, equality and women's rights pushes it to the left, while others have called it "demagogically catch-all."

Name

The Tribune Movement is named in honour of the ancient Solarian Tribunus Missam (Tribune of the Mass), the political representative of the free but predominately poor citizens of the city. Since the party is rooted in populist politics and representing the "people against the masters of globalist oppression," the name sees its identity rooted in the ancient political position. Others claim that the name and symbolism of the party is aimed at attracting nationalist elements in the electorate, while also diminishing its more overt left-wing positions, while liberals in the Citizens' Alliance claim that the name and logo inspire nascent militarism and veneration of the imperial past.

All members of the party are called "Tribunes" (Tribuni) by the party officials and the press, both positively and pejoratively.

Positions

The MT's political program has been consistently classified as vague, but its accepted core themes are traditional social values, law and order, and hostility towards social minorities and civil liberties. It continues to advocate a strong federal state with a empowered presidential form of government, and limited powers to the autonomous regions. While it's overt right-wing positions are debated, it does possess several positions considered to be left-wing and inherently populist, including, improved women's rights, equal gender pay, increase popular involvement in democracy (referendums, e-democracy and local referendums). The MT wraps its ideology around populist rhetoric, referring to the Etrurian elite as the "Community-Enslaved Cabal" (Comunità Schiava di Cabala), "The Black Class" (La Classe Nera) and the "Parasites" (Parassiti).

Law and order

Following its founding in 2012, Francesco Carcaterra campaigned on a law-and-order platform of zero tolerance, harsher sentencing, increased prison capacity, and a referendum on re-introducing the death penalty. After entering government in 2016, it immediately set about increasing funding for the security services, federalising law enforcement and followed through on its promise of a referendum on re-introducing the death penalty in 2017; the yes vote won 67.6%, which saw capital punishment return for terrorism, murder, serial rape and serial child molestation. This was followed by the introduction of harsher sentences for drug, arms and human trafficking and drug dealing. The MT government also stepped up efforts to combat the sex-trade which it describes as the "debasement of decent society."

In 2017, the government established the Civil Security Service to combat organised crime and separatist groups, the law that created it, also abolished the Independent Law Enforcement Complaints Office and radically reduced rules and regulations over policing. This resulted in a 79% increase in reports of police brutality, this was rejected by the government, who claimed it was the "false stories of the weak liberal elite."

Etrurian unionism

The MT is considered to be hard-line on the matter of federalism and unionism, it has described regionalist parties as the "embryos of secessionism" and vehemently opposes nationalism within the three constituent states. In January 2018, the MT government introduced new regulations for the Federal Electoral Office, which would reject new applications for political parties on their position regarding unionism.

However, the MT has been highly supportive toward celebrating the "cultural uniqueness of the Three Peoples." This has led to greater federal funding for cultural events, multi-cultural festivals and greater recognition of historical figures from the Carinthian and Novalian states. While the MT has been keen on celebrating Etruria's multi-cultural status, it has however, been equally keen to protect the federal-national identity. Critics of the MT government have said that this contradiction has been worsened by the boundless "Etrurian nationalism" unleashed by the government. This has been supported in part by MT figures claiming that all Etrurians share in all three cultures.

Etrurian nationalism

Conversely to its pro-mult-cultural status, the MT has been more driven toward Etrurian nationalism. Etrurian nationalism under the MT has taken philosophical, historiographical and chauvinistic form. This became more apparent during the 2016 EC membership referendum, where the No-campaign led by the MT rooted its platform on historical grievances against Euclea. This anti-Euclean nationalism continues under the MT government in several forms.

The MT like previous right-wing parties supports claims of Etruria being the spiritual successor to the ancient Solarian Empire, as well as support the First Civilisation theory and rejecting criticism of the CSRN Regime as historical revisionism. Critics have claimed that the MT has propagated conspiracy theories about the EC to support its nationalism, such as claims that the EC seeks to “destroy Etruria’s independence and identity” and “Etruria faces centuries of plots and schemes”.

The MT government has reintroduced to Etrurian society the historical cultural supremacism that was believed to have died out in the 1980s, this became apparent during the Federal Curriculum Review in 2017, when history text-books were re-written to argue that Vespasic-Etrurian culture was unmatched in creativity, beauty and complexity. This also included claims that Etruria remains the cultural heart of Euclea and that Ancient Solaris introduced civilisation to ancient Euclea.

In December 2017, the MT government repealed the Savino Law, which prohibited celebration of the CSRN regime and denial of its crimes during the Solarian War.

Controversies

Ultras support

One of the party's most ardent and solid bases of support are the various Ultras of the Etrurian football culture. Virtually all major Ultras have declared support for the party and regularly chant supportive slogans in support of the party, or aggressive chants against the establishment and the Citizens' Alliance. During the 2016 general election, several Ultras were accused of violently attacking activists from opposing parties. The Federalist Party, the Citizens' Alliance and the Etrurian Greens all reported incidents involving Ultras and blamed the Tribune Movement for inciting or tacitly supporting the attacks.

File:MTUltras.png

The infamous "Saluto" photograph taken during a football match during the 2016 general election. It captures members of the Coorte Nera (Black Cohort) Ultra saluting a MT party broadcast prior to kick-off. Moments after the Citizens' Alliance broadcast began the same Ultras began shouting violent slogans against the party.

One major incident involved 26-year-old Lucca Perelli, who was beaten into a coma by six members of the Legio Urbisliana Ultra. Perelli was handing out leaflets in support of the Citizens' Alliance in central Urbisalia when he was surrounded, pushed and kicked to the floor. The six men proceeded to repeatedly kick and punch him, while his leaflets were taken and thrown out onto the street, he suffered severe trauma and was in a coma for six weeks, he is however, expected to make a full recovery after much treatment and support. All six were arrested and charged with attempted murder, they were later sentenced to 15 years in prison. The police investigation found no direct link between the attack the Tribune Movement.

Another serious case was the attack on Novalian Socialist Party candidate Niko Bilic. Bilic was attacked outside his office in Dubovica by members of the Dubovica Osvajači Ultra. He suffered a broken nose and two broken ribs in the attack, however no arrests were made. The centrist and centre-right based press condemned the attack as the "most direct assault on Etrurian democracy since its conception." While others went further to report the Tribune Movement to the Federal Electoral Commission for "political intimidation."

Other incidents included the firebombing of party offices, rocks thrown through windows and death-threats through social media. Matteo Sorrentini described the Ultras' support for the MT as a natural consequence of the party's penchant for "racist, homophobic, derogatory rhetoric." He also said that the MT's continued failure to condemn links to the already controversial football hooligan groups was indicative that the party "is deeply rooted in nationalism and xenophobia."

Accusations of racism, homophobia and authoritarianism

Within weeks of its surprise breakthrough in the 2013 general election, the Tribune Movement came under sustained scrutiny and criticism from the centre-left, centre and centre-right. Its most senior leaders, officials and candidates have all been involved in controversies over social media messages and gaffes.

The current Minister of Justice, Viktor Božić in 2014 described the young members of gangs in northern Vespasia as "scum" and vowed to "clean our streets of their filth, with their flayed skin as mops." This was condemned as inappropriate and counter-productive, while the Citizens' Alliance described the comments as "evidence that the Tribune Movement is a danger to the very lives of our disillusioned youth."

This was similar to comments by the current Party Secretary, Vittoria Vasca who said a Tribune Movement government would "cleanse every inch of the fatherland of rapists, child killers, petty thieves and return dignity and virtue to our nation. We do not care how, they will go and we will never see them again."

In 2015, Francesco Carcaterra was accused of racism when he described peoples of XX as "degenerates", saying further, "these people have nothing on us. Look at them, they wouldn't even have the wheel if it was not for our ancient forefathers. They'd still be sitting in their own shit and piss and eating dog if it were not for them." Carcaterra and the MT at large have regularly been condemned for "cultural supremacism" and xenophobia toward other states.

The MT has also been decried for its positive opinion of the military regime that governed Etruria between 1973 and 1983. Deputy MT leader, Ettore Mantovano told the right-wing newspaper La Federazione, "at least when the army ran the country they did so with pride, our current leaders are ashamed of this country, they hate it. Patriotism was the foundation of the generals' rule and the country did well because of it." His comments received widespread condemnation, with leader of the Citizens' Alliance Pietro Vitarelli saying, "we now have a man who wishes to become Vice President, defending the darkest period of our nation's history. Apparently the deaths of 15,000 people and the 3,000 still missing is proof of the country having done well."

Forigen Influence

One of the most damning concerns about the Tribune Movement is it's connections and relationship with the ruling party of Mathrabumi. The National Society for Krishin Consciousness has described the party as a "sister" in numerous party publications, and state media has consistently supported the positions of the Tribune Movement. It's leader Francesco Carcaterra appears quite commonly on the state owned TV channel Sirand Today, Il Popolo even writing "the channel never seriously challenges Caraterra, the interviewer never asking hard questions ... Sirand Today coverage on the Tribune Movement is less coverage and more cheering for the party and calls for closer cooperation". In these interviews has supported Mathra policies and human rights abuses, calling it better then what's forced by the EC "So the EC globalists talk relentlessly about the importance of their Community to solve issues like climate change, and at the same time they praise the enormous progress made in Mathrabumi! Over there the government isn't listening to some hippies and demolishing nuclear power plants, forcing them to rely on coal, it arrests these activists, a grave human rights violation according to the EC, and continues building renewable energy capacity! And what do we see? Without losing their sovereignity to some supranational 'community' controlled by bureaucrats, they achieve massive gains in fighting climate change, and I think this is something for us to follow. We don't need the EC for anything, they need us and hold us back!".

The Tribune Movement has also held multiple workshops and exchanges with the party, with them even producing theoretical documents on potential policy. These 'worshops' have been described as a means for the party to spread it's ideology, and influence Etrurian policy. Ideological influence has reached the point that powerful high level officials have been seen reading obscure texts from the Mathra emperor, and the countries book about the role of "the men above tone" is on the parties official reading list, with the men above time concept being alluded to by newer ministers. Finally the Tribune Movement has borrowed the rabid Islamaphobia of the NSKC, saying that Mumins are trying to replace native Eturians while destroying it's native culture. The party has called for their deportation and ominously one minister told a right wing publication "maybe the Mathras knew how to best deal with the Salamists". Disinformation about Mumins has been openly allowed to spread by Mathra state media under the watch of the Tribune Movement, with the parties ministers actively spreading this content on social media. Under the Tribune Movement's watch curricula has been revised to omit information about the Extermination of Salamists (Mathrabumi), and what little is thought is the official Mathra line, of it being an affair of civilians, killing barely 100 thousand, with Salamists instead leaving the Hindu Republic no longer able to slaughter cows.

Electoral history

Senate of Etruria (Chamber of Representatives of the Federation)

Election	Votes		Seats		Win	Outcome
	#	%	#	±
2018			398 / 680	11		Retains a majority in both houses and forms a single-party government.
2016			387 / 680	368		Wins a majority in both houses and forms a single-party government.
2013			14 / 680	14		Becomes the first minor party since 1956 to gain more than ten seats in its first contested national election.

Senate of Etruria (State Council of the Federation)

Election	Votes		Seats		Win	Outcome
	#	%	#	±
2018			194 / 290	28		Retains a majority in both houses, first party to win two-thirds majority in the upper-house since 2005.
2016			166 / 290	156		Wins a majority in both houses and forms a single-party government It is the first party to gain a majority in the upper-house since 1990.
2013			10 / 680	10		Becomes the first minor party since 1956 to gain more than five seats in the upper-house since 1985.