Henk Ranje
Henk Ranje | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 16, 1893 |
| Died | June 18, 1918 (aged 24) |
| Cause of death | Multiple bullet wounds |
| Resting place | Ranje-family Mausoleum, Ranjekaat |
| Nationality | Variotan |
| Other names | Rooie Hont (Socialist Dog) |
| Occupation | Socialist Agitator |
| Years active | 1912-1918 |
| Known for | Leadership figure during the Left Menace |
| Political party | Rooie Partij fan'es Folke |
| Criminal charge(s) | Vandalism, Assault, Destruction of Public Property, Indecent Exposure |
| Parent(s) | Rinus Ranje Sr. Agnes Ranje |
| Relatives | Rinus Ranje Jr. (brother) |
Henk Ranje (16 August 1893 - June 18, 1918) was a Variotan political agitator of socialistic persuasion, operating primarily in the important port of Ranjekaat. He was a member of the influential Ranje family, who made their money through the Ranje Lantboerbetreif and were one of the largest mango exporters in Alharu at that time. Henk was groomed by his father Rinus Ranje Sr. to take over the business. Instead, he got involved with the Rooie Partij fan'es Folke, one of the first socialist parties of Variota. Due to the status and funds available to him as a Ranje, he quickly gained a following in Ranjekaat. He regularly denounced anti-socialist influences, sometimes even going so far as attacking them with his fellow socialist agitators.
Attempting to crash and break up the founding ceremony of the Sons of the Variotan Motherland, a Variotan far-right party, with some of his fellow socialist agitators, he was shot multiple times. Henk died after he horribly underestimated the firepower in the possession of the far-right sympathizers. The attack led by Henk Ranje and the events that transpired there, including the death of Henk Ranje himself, the death of eleven other socialists and the death of Grote Wil fan Rooilamp, led to the Month of the Floating Bodies. In this event, the far-right leader Wiktor Walensa and his followers sought out and brutally murdered every socialist agitator that attempted to crash and break up their founding ceremony.
