Melissa City Riots, 2018

The Melissa City Riots were a series of riots that took place in Lauchenoiria in March 2018. They began on the 23rd March 2018 after a supporter of communism broke the windows of a bank during a protest in Melissa City's main shopping district during a protest organised by the Communist Party.

The Anarcho-Communist Collective of Lauchenoiria claimed responsibility for the riots. The events are seen by some as a precursor to the Second Lauchenoirian Civil War due to then-Prime Minister Laura Moore's decision to allow Skodenian Peacekeepers to enter the country and assist local law enforcement.

Prelude

In August 2017, a referendum on capitalism was held in Lauchenoiria asking voters if they supported transitioning back to a capitalist economic system. At this point, Lauchenoiria had run a state-planned communist economy since the Lauchenoirian Communist Revolution in 1952. A major promise of the Liberal Party of Lauchenoiria led then by Laura Moore had been to hold such a referendum if they were elected, which happened in 2014.

The referendum, held on the 25th August 2017, passed, with 62.3% of voters in favour of transitioning to a capitalist economy. The campaign had been very heated and in the immediate aftermath, a number of communist groups refused to accept the result of the referendum, leading to conflict across the country. Protests were organised on a near-weekly basis until one protest in March 2018 turned violent.

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 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.

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.

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. Among the hostages were a member of the Melissan Parliament and several teenagers. On this day, Skodenian Peacekeepers also arrived in the country.

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. 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. None of the hostages were injured or killed during the operation, which was criticised by Suleman Chaher due to the Skodenian influence.

Aftermath

Following the joint MCPD-Skodenian operation, a number of members of the Anarcho-Communist Collective of Lauchenoiria were killed and one was captured and sentenced to 20 years in prison. The handling of the hostage situation generated controversy across Lauchenoiria with some claiming that the reliance on foreign interference was proof of the failure of Lauchenoiria's pacifistic policies, and others blaming the situation on Laura Moore. Controversially, some Skodenian counter-terrorism officers remained in the nation following the riots.

In May 2018, Home Secretary Suleman Chaher staged a coup against Laura Moore and declared himself Prime Minister, this being the start of the Second Lauchenoirian Civil War. Chaher began to round up Skodenians living in Lauchenoiria in response to what he saw as an overbearing Skodenian influence on the nation. This was then followed by Laeralites. This policy inspired a number of nations to invade Lauchenoiria. The riots are seen by many as one of the main precursors of the SLCW, alongside the capitalism referendum itself and Kerlian influences.