Stelten Massacre

Stelten Massacre
Date 17 June 1940 Location Stelten, Felsinia Result Stelten Police Forces disbanded Thousands of civillians killed Dozens of arrests of Felsinean and Ripuarian Nationals Military build-up between Ripuaria and Lindenholt
Belligerents
Stelten Police Felsinean Protesters	Royal Lindian Armed Forces
Commanders and leaders
Stelten Police Chief	Captain Frank de Looij
Units involved
Stelten Police	9th Motor Rifle Battalion
Strength
20 - 40 Policemen 10,000 - 15,000 Protesters	300 – 800 Soldiers
Casualties and losses
20 - 40 policemen killed 9,000+ civillians killed	None
10 - 20 Lindian nationals killed

The Stelten Massare was a riot that took place on the 17th of June, 1940 in the Felsinian city of Stelten. At the time Stelten was a part of Lindenholt and while it had autonomy, the Royal Lindian Armed Forces were occupying the region. The massacre took place after the Lindian high command ordered a military take over of the Stelten police headquarters who they suspected of cooperating with the Felsinian independence movement. The Lindian and Felsinian press falsely reported that almost ten thousand were killed. The actual death toll was only revealed after the war to be around a thousand. 10 to 20 ethnic Lindians who had settled in Stelten were killed in lynches that occurred after the massacre. All of the Stelten policemen were killed, the Lindian 9th Motor Rifle Battalion suffered no deaths, only minor injuries.

The investigation of the event proved to be very difficult. Initially the Lindian Government didn't allow any independent press to arrive at the scene or ask any questions. The information currently presented about the massacre comes from investigations and interviews conducted after the war.

Background

Felsinia has been under Lindian control for sometime before the events of the massacre. Relations between the Felsineans and Lindenholt were very unstable. The Lindian Government often considered the Felsineans as untrustworthy, cooperators with the enemies of Lindenholt. Public opinion about the Felsinean self rule was low and many called for complete annexation of Felsinia as well as relocation of Lindians into Felsinia to assert sovereignty over the territory.

Events

In the early morning of June 17th a telegram reached the radio operator working outside Stelten. He had recieved message to seize the police headquarters and to enforce martial rule over Stelten. The message was relaid to the commanding officer and he chose Capitan Frank de Looij and the 9th Motor Rifle Battalion to carry out the orders.

By afternoon, the 9th Motor Rifle Battalion was on it's way to the Stelten Police Headquarters. When it arrived, Capitan Frank de Looij asked the Chief of Police to disarm and give up control of the Police Station. The Chief decided to barricade himself and his policemen inside. An assault on the police station ensued. Felsinean passerbys saw the happenings and joined to support the Chief of Police, they began disrupting the Lindian Forces and started using violent means to stop the assault. The Lindian Forces responded by using deadly force.

The following hours saw the massacre itself take place, where the 9th Motor Rifle Battalion took positions around the police station and killed any civillian or policemen that showed malicious intent towards the soldiers. Eventually the assault was successful and the police station was taken by Lindian forces. None of the policemen survived. After the assault, protesters continued to rush the Lindian Forces in efforts to harm them and drive them out of Stelten but with little success.

Aftermath

After the massacre the tensions between the Felsinean and Lindian citizens of Stelten reached a boiling point. Public lynches against Lindians took place on a daily and even hourly basis. Riots spread across the whole city and many commercial buildings and zones were looted. With no trusted police force in place, Stelten became a city of anarchy with no way to enforce it's laws.

Eventually the Lindian Forces managed to take control over the city within the day and restore order to Stelten.

Reactions

The world responded to the massacre with heavy criticism over the Lindian Army's method and the general occupation of Felsinia by Lindenholt.

Generally speaking the reaction in mainland Lindenholt was mostly positive with few criticising the actions of the 9th Motor Rifle Battalion.

The reaction in Ripuaria was taken to another place. Many newspapers called it the 'end of Lindian imperialism', most assumed that the Lindian population would rise in revolution against the massacre and topple the government and military. Many in Ripuaria called for war against Lindenholt and for the liberation of Felsinia.