2021 Asperan riots
| 2021 Asperan riots | ||||
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| Date | July 23, 2021 - present | |||
| Location | All of Aspera | |||
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| Methods | Protest, demonstrations, riots | |||
| Status | Ongoing | |||
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The 2021 Asperan riots refer to several large occurrences of civil unrest happening in the autonomous region of Aspera, a former Fratanican territory. The civil unrest was sparked by both the economic recession faced by the country and the Governor-General's promise for increased cooperation with Fratanica.
Context
Timeline
July 23, start of the protests
At 8:30 local time, the Governor-General gave a weekly televised address for the public, promising tighter relations with the Fratanican government in terms of both business and security. The statement angered much of the Asperan population, who had hoped for full independence. Through social media, people began to organize protests, protesting both the government's inaction on the progressing economic inequality and the tightening of their relationship with Fratanica.
Starting around 16:30 local time, demonstrators numbering in the thousands began marching through the streets, demanding for the resignation of the Governor-General Nicholas Dekkers and for the increase of government welfare programs. The largest of these protests was in the capital city, Port Bedeau. The protests in the afternoon were largely peaceful.
Counter-protesters, supporters of the Governor-General, had also begun to mobilize in order to defend the Governor-General.
At 18:15, the Aspera Freedom Party released a statement on social media, urging people to engage in peaceful protest over the Governor-General's Fratanica-friendly policies and condemning Dekkers' attempts to get closer with the Fratanican government. Shortly thereafter, some of the protests turned violent, resulting in the first clashes between Asperan law enforcement and angry demonstrators.
By midnight, these demonstrations had largely died down.
July 24, development of chaos
The protests began to spring up again in the late morning hours, around 10:00. Through word of mouth and posts on social media, more demonstrators joined the protests. An even larger group of protesters, estimated to be over 5,000 strong, began to march towards the Governor-General's residence, with the same demands as last time. Smaller protests took place in other areas throughout Aspera.
At about 17:20 local time, protests began to get violent. Many people took advantage of the ensuing chaos to begin looting businesses and destroy property. Larger clashes between Asperan police and pro-independence demonstrators also took place close to the Governor-General's residence. Rioters used improvised molotov cocktails, high-powered lasers, and blunt-force handheld weapons against police officers and pro-government counter-protesters. The police used crowd control munitions, tear gas, and water hoses from police vehicles in an attempt to disperse the crowd.
The increased presence of pro-government counter-protesters further complicated the riots, having reported to have assaulted peaceful protesters and clashed with pro-independence protesters.
July 25
At 01:20, the 16th Home Security Battalion under the FAF Aspera Task Force was deployed at the request of the Governor-General of Aspera. Several sections were deployed to deal with potential looters throughout the capital city of Port Bedeau, while other sections were deployed to protect governmental infrastructure.
At 19:35, the Governor-General formally requested security assistance from Fratanica, as per the 1992 Aspera-Fratanica Agreement. An emergency cabinet meeting to review the proposal was undertaken by the Fratanican Prime Minister and the Minister of Home Affairs.
Due to the severity of urban violence, the Governor-General was evacuated from his residence by Fratanican special operations units and taken to a more secure location.