[Lauchenoiria]

Lauchenoirian Guardian

Young Liberals at odds with parent party over support for climate protests
13th September 2019

The Young Liberals, the youth wing of the Liberal Party of Lauchenoiria, has officially come out in support of the two weeks of climate protests currently taking place in Buttercity. This is at odds with Josephine Alvarez’s statement last Saturday, in which she called the protests ‘unnecessary’, and reiterated that her government is doing all it can for the environment while ensuring the economy can recover after the war.

The Young Liberals intend to send a delegation to a protest in Usera, due to take place tomorrow, which is to happen in addition to the two-week demonstration in Buttercity. Usera, known for being Lauchenoiria’s most left-wing city, has a high number of students, and was briefly occupied by Kerlile during the war. Despite this, the city suffered less damage than most others which saw fighting.

The protests have continued, with fourteen arrests happening total in the last week. The first two arrests took place outside the Xiomeran Embassy after protesters draped a banner across the building and ignored police instructions to climb down. Twelve further arrests were made after members of direct-action group the Watchdogs of Our Earth attempted to block a road in central Buttercity yesterday evening during rush hour.

The protests are set to continue in the capital for another week, with additional demonstrations due to take place in a number of major cities across Lauchenoiria tomorrow afternoon, including Usera, Melissa City, Seahaven and Liaville. Green Party leader Lucie Scott has supported the protests, though has urged activists to “remain peaceful”.

The arrests of activists have been condemned by organisers Climate Alliance Lauchenoiria, who claim that the police are ‘unfairly targeting’ activists. A spokesperson for the group has said that they fear that a crackdown would be ‘reminiscent of the Chaher regime last year’ and the group have urged the government to let the protests continue unhindered. The Buttercity Police Department responded by saying “our main priority is the safety and security of members of the public at all times, and those who threaten that safety will be arrested.”