[Lauchenoiria]

Lauchenoirian Guardian

Rise in anti-Kerlian hate crime recorded
28th July 2019

The number of recorded incidents of hate crime against Kerlians in Lauchenoiria has doubled since the end of the civil war, new figures show. A report released by the Lauchenoirian Statistics Office shows that anti-Kerlian hate crime is at a record high, and instances of violence have increased rapidly.

In the past six months, sixteen Kerlian refugees have been hospitalised due to attacks on the streets, with fourteen of these incidents occurring in Yervia Province, which was occupied by Kerlile for a period during the war. Anti-Kerlian sentiment in Yervia is at an all-time high, with 37% of Yervians claiming that they are always or usually suspicious of any Kerlian. Meanwhile, 79% of Kerlians residing in Yervia have reported being insulted because of their nationality.

Mabel Baker is a 29-year-old Kerlian who has been living in Usera, Yervia since 2007. She fled Kerlile alone at the age of 17, after her brother was arrested. During the civil war, she was found by the Kerlians and had been scheduled to be returned to Kerlile, however was saved by the signing of the Haven Accords. She works in a local supermarket.

“I never used to feel unsafe in Lauchenoiria, but that all changed during the war. When the Kerlians occupied Usera I thought I was going to die. I survived, but since the war, people have been treating me differently. It’s not so bad when I speak Spanish, but when I speak English they hear my accent. I get accused of being a Kerlian spy, or an Aurora sleeper agent. One man spat in my face and threatened to assault me.”

The rise in hate crime has been attributed by some groups to the rhetoric put forward by Lauchenoiria First, and especially their leader Paul Doberman. Doberman has repeatedly called for female politicians to be viewed with suspicion in case they are Kerlian sleeper agents. One man charged with assault following an attack on a Kerlian refugee was a member of Lauchenoiria First, and a former LF candidate for the Yervian Parliament. He came in sixth place.

Lauchenoiria has had an open border policy with regards to Kerlian refugees since 1996, with the vast majority of Kerlians crossing the northern border being granted asylum. Emigration is illegal in Kerlile, with any Kerlian citizen caught attempting to cross the border either being shot on sight or imprisoned for life. Kerlians who successfully make the crossing cannot ever return home.

Lauchenoiria also refuses all extraditions to Kerlile due to the autocratic matriarchy’s widespread mistreatment and torture of prisoners, as well as their use of the death penalty. This policy has caused recent controversy, after a notorious Kerlian serial killer Jasmine Eddington crossed the Lauchenoirian border. She is presently in custody on immigration charges, however the government have said they will not extradite her.