The Tal Street Massacre was a confrontation between Nuggians protesting for statehood and colonial authorities on the planet
Threbeish on September 19th, 2398. Protesters had held a march on Tal Street, a major thoroughfare on Threbeish having having their permit rejected by the
territorial government. After the protestors did not disperse, colonial authorities used force to disband the protest, resulting in the deaths of 11 protesters. The Tal Street Massacre is considered one of the seminal moments in the movement for Nuggian Independence. It is most commonly remembered for being the moment that pushed the movement from one for statehood to one for independence.
The demonstration of the unwillingness of the United States to grant Nuggia political representation has been commonly considered the turning point that turned the Nuggian statehood movement into the Nuggian independence movement. Following the massacre, reported memberships of independence organizations skyrocketed and the attendence of statehood organizations dwindled, to the point where many were disbanded completely. The massacre also led to the formation of citizen's militias across the territory, preparing for a potential independence war against the United States.
The Protest
The
Threbeishian Society for Statehood applied for a permit to protest along Tal Street on September 19th, 2398 with the local government. The territorial government then rejected this request. Publicly denouncing this as an act of oppression and a violation of the first amendment rights of the protesters, the protesters decided to march anyways.
The march began at the intersection of Alberta and Tal at 9:52am. Protesters continued marching peacefully down the road for another 2 hours. They reached the intesection of Hamilton Boulevard and Tal Street at 12:19, where they met a police barricade. A local magistrated then told the crowd that they had five minutes to disperse or there would be considered in breach of the peace and arrested. The majority of the protest stayed in place.
Police Action
After the protesters did not disperse, the police used violent force to break up the protesters. The police line pushed back on the protest, beating back civilians and arresting those that they could. The total action lasted for about 1 hour and 17 minutes. By the end, 6 protesters had died due to the chaose caused by the police, 11 died due to direct police action, and hundreds were left injured. Records show the colonial police arrested about 164 people.
Trials
Everyone arrested was tried for breach of the peace, with an typical sentence of 4-8 years. Any of the leadership they could arrest were also charged with inciting a riot, an additional 10-15 year sentence. Of the total defendents, 148 were found guilty. Of those, none had their sentence commuted.
International Response
The response to the protest incurred international outrage. Most major governments condemmed the actions of the colonial government, frequently calling it a gross misuse of force and a violation of freedom of assembly.
Effects
With significant portions of the leadership gone, the Threbeishian Society for Statehood was hollowed out, and due to the shift in political priorities disbanded soon after. Large scale civil disobedience on Threbeish would not occur again until the start of the
Nuggian Revolutionary War.
The massacre is commonly noted as the turning point of the Nuggian independence movement. The massacre caused a mass movement of support from organisations fighting for statehood to those fighting for independence. This is typified by the movement of Cathrine Kenth, an integral member of the Society for Nuggian Statehood, to the Nuggian Independence Party. Millions of other people also shifted towards pushing for independence.
The massacre also marked an increase in the militancy in the indepedence movement. With many feeling that the United State would not peacefully accept the political sovereignty of Nuggia, militias formed all across Nuggia.
Legacy
The day of the Tal Street Massacre, Septmeber 19th, is commonly celebrated as Heroe's Day in the
Grand Empire of Nuggia. It celebrates all those who have died in the service of the Empire, replacing Veteran's day in importance in the empire.
The Tal Massacre is also frequently taught in schools as a part of the stories, making it a common part of the narrative of Nuggian Independence.
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