Editing Melissa City Riots, 2018 (section)

==Timeline==

On the 23rd March 2018, residents in Melissa City, Lauchenoiria's largest city, were urged to stay in their homes by then-Home Secretary [[Suleman Chaher]] as clashes between protesters and police broke out in the city's main shopping district. They began when one protestor broke a bank's window and attempted to set fire to the premises. The protest was one of several organised by the Communist Party of Lauchenoiria following the [[Lauchenoirian Capitalism Referendum, 2017|capitalism referendum]] in 2017. Previous protests were all peaceful. Seven protesters ended up in hospital for injuries related to the violence on the first day.<ref>https://www.nationstates.net/page=rmb/postid=29880957</ref>

Three days later, violence had escalated and the ACCL claimed responsibility. President [[Leanna Walker]] made a public statement to the nation, and announced that two police officers had been killed in the clashes. Businesses in the centre of Melissa City were ordered to shut, and residents near the affected areas were offered the option to evacuate. The Lauchenoirian government also accepted an offer by [[Skoden]] to provide peacekeepers.<ref>https://www.nationstates.net/page=rmb/postid=29908241</ref>

In the early afternoon of the 27th March, the Anarcho-Communist Collective of Lauchenoiria took over a dozen hostages inside an abandoned clothing store in response to police gaining more control over the situation. The hostage-takers demanded an immediate end to capitalism and the resignation of Leanna Walker.<ref>https://www.nationstates.net/page=rmb/postid=29941502</ref> Among the hostages were a member of the Melissan Parliament and several teenagers. On this day, Skodenian Peacekeepers also arrived in the country.<ref>https://www.nationstates.net/page=rmb/postid=29941826</ref>

A joint operation between the Melissa City Police Department and the Skodenian Peacekeepers was launched to rescue the hostages two days later after the government refused to negotiate.<ref>https://www.nationstates.net/page=rmb/postid=29964176</ref> All but one of the hostage-takers were killed in this operation, alongside one Skodenian. A further Skodenian had to be taken to hospital for his injuries.<ref>https://www.nationstates.net/page=rmb/postid=29965588</ref> None of the hostages were injured or killed during the operation, which was criticised by Suleman Chaher due to the Skodenian influence.<ref>https://www.nationstates.net/page=rmb/postid=29980884</ref>