Paramilitary Organization Pledges To Protect Starkmanir Sages
2010-10-01T09:53+00:00
Frarn - A group calling themselves the Starkman Milisi announced earlier today that they intend to provide free security for those Starkmanir sages who request it. This comes in response to the recent killing of Sage Uldas Dreeter in Abudban at the hands of Minmatar opposing the Amarr faith.
"We may be the child brother of the Tribes, and people in our tribe may have beliefs that some find strange, but that does not mean we have to turn the other cheek. We have little in the way of culture, but we do have a way of life worth protecting, a way of life worth dying for," said Milisi spokesman Jeoran Setul in the announcement. "Some of our tribe have decided to keep their beliefs despite living in an environment hostile to those beliefs, and we admire them for it and stand by their side, because they are our brothers. We are the Minmatar, we are the Tribe, and we are the Republic. Those who attack us are enemies of everything we are."
Soger Neyd, representing the security forces of the Servant Sisters of EVE's refugee camps in the region, spoke in support of the Milisi. "Though I fear this can lead to further escalation if left unchecked, I absolutely applaud this effort to protect the freedoms of a relatively small religious group."
The Milisi has received statements of support from other Tribes in the Republic, especially the Brutor Tribe which has pledged to actively support the Milisi efforts with hardware and training. The Starkman Milisi consists mainly of ethnic Starkmanir who served in the Tribe's various regional militias and police forces during their life in the Ammatar Mandate, and claims modern military training over the past two years.
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Starkmanir Religious Leader Killed In Violent Riot
2010-09-28T16:03+00:00
Abudban - A Brutor Tribe-owned Minmatar refugee settlement in Abudban endured a violent riot last night, during which visiting Starkmanir Sage Uldas Dreeter was killed by anti-theists who were protesting his public services. The Brutor Tribe has deployed a number of riot police units to the refugee outpost and is in the process of relaying the different groups to segregated habitation modules.
As a cleric of the Amarr faith, Uldas Dreeter had been touring the Republic for several months. He had visited many refugee communities and was one of the most widely known religious figures in the Starkmanir tribe. His visit to Abudban yesterday was one of the last he had scheduled on his tour, after which he would have returned to his home on Rens III. Amarrian faithful throughout the Republic gave Dreeter a moment of silence out of respect for his work.
"He was one of our best bets for uniting the tribe," said Fredivar Parch, a member of Dreeter's tour staff.
Culturally motivated violence toward Minmatar adhering to the Amarr faith continues to ravage refugee settlements in the region.The Brutor Tribe has stated it will only implement complete segregation in the most extreme cases, calling the current process "a method of acclimatization." The Sisters of EVE have decried the statement, saying it implies the Republic is trying to punish or eradicate faithful Minmatar. The Brutor Tribe has fiercely denied this accusation, instead blaming government-defined guidelines on refugee processing.
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Intertribal Tensions Plague Resettled Thukker
2010-09-15T19:39+00:00
Ryddinjorn - Ethnic violence broke out today in the normally quiet town of Hrangsdor, as the predominantly Brutor community reacted to the presence of resettled Thukker members of the Fuldis caravan.
Formerly nomadic, nearly half of the members of the Fuldis caravan opted to form a permanent settlement last fall, choosing Ryddinjorn as their new home. Since that time, the lukewarm welcome has turned to outright suspicion, culminating in today's outbreak of widespread vandalism and protests.
Many residents are suspicious of the Thukkers' motives for settling down. "Everyone knows that the Thukker will adopt anyone," said Amadou Zoreya, a local Brutor man. "They come here, fill our kids' heads full of wild stories about deep space, and lure them into their caravans. It's not right."
These Thukker maintain that their nomadic days are behind them, however. "We just want to fit in," said Emmen Ulffsson, one of the resettled Thukker. "We want to live our lives and prosper just like everyone else."
But the cultural divisions go deeper. During the Amarr occupation, the pragmatic Thukker viewed mobility as the best defense against enslavement. But to proud Brutor tribesmen, this same mobility was viewed as tantamount to cowardice. Raelan Kahoku, a Hrangsdor Brutor elder said simply, "I would rather die fighting than flee into space," and it seems this sentiment is widely shared.
Authorities have brought the situation in Hrangsdor under control, but the violence has left many Thukker once again contemplating relocation. Lamented Ulffsson, "Maybe our nomadic days aren't quite over yet."
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Cultural Friction Turns Minmatar Refugee Ghettos Into Battlegrounds
2010-09-14T09:52+00:00
Rens - Organized crime and culturally motivated violence have become staples of life in the housing shanties dotting Rens and other systems taking in Minmatar refugees. The Sisters of EVE have admitted to difficulties maintaining order in the temporary settlements, and hope to launch joint efforts with help from the tribes and local law enforcement.
The mixture of Minmatar who still adhere to the Amarrian faith and Minmatar who possess staunch anti-Amarr sentiments has become a problem. Aggressive tendencies are evident on both sides, with members of the faithful minority sometimes coming into violent conflict with the anti-theists. "Escalation comes rapidly in these enclosed areas," said SOE security spokesman Soger Neyd. "By the time police forces can mount a response, it is often too late."
The Sisters of EVE admit that refugee housing has proved to be inadequate, but the organization blames the Minmatar tribal governments for the difficulty in relocating repatriated slaves. The Starkmanir and Nefantar, in particular, have had great difficulties navigating Republic bureaucracy due to the lack of tribal structure. Many refugee camps have also been pressed to accommodate Republic citizens fleeing the warfare that rages in the low-security parts of the Heimatar and Metropolis regions - especially in systems such as Siseide and Lantorn, which saw extended occupation by 24th Imperial Crusade forces before their liberation early this year.
In debating a solution to the hostilities, the Sisters of EVE have been supportive of plans to segregate refugees depending on culture. This solution has generally been met with resistance from the Republic government, while the refugees themselves are supportive of the plan. "We are already segregated," commented Olaufin Jastl, a Starkmanir religious sage. "The difference here would be that I could meet my parishioners in streets and markets instead of bulkheads and secret shelters."
Sages like Olaufin Jastl are a holdover from the Starkmanir slave society on the planet Halturzhan. Since they are clerics of the Amarr faith, their services have grown to become focal points for faithful Minmatar in these refugee societies. As a result, they are often targets of religiously motivated violence.
"Our brothers are afraid," said Sage Jastl. "They think they have to throw away their faith for the tribes to accept them, and that they need to punish us to gain their affection. I love my tribe, and the Starkmanir accept me as I am. We know that we are together, because we stand with God."
But not all Starkmanir stand on the faithful side. Alep Yivanikh is a Starkmanir who has decided not to stand with the sages. "I think the society we had on Halturzhan was designed to keep us in check. It's nice that some have decided to maintain our culture from back then, but we're in the Republic now. If we want to be taken seriously we'll have to find a more modern way of life and focus on other parts of our culture instead."
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Writers Union Backs MPT
2010-09-06T09:57+00:00
HEK - The Matari Writers Association, a union representing writers of theatre and holovid pieces, today backed the MPT's decision to produce the highly controversial play ‘Plantation.’ “While we do not normally condone the adaptation of works outside of their intended millieu, we also do not condone repression of freedom of any kind. We find the actions of those upset with the MPT's decision to stage this play to be reprehensible,” said Koto Rydd, the group’s spokesman.
The play, written 600 years ago by Ammatar author Dekkameron, explores the issues of power among the powerless. Set on an Ammarian plantation, the play focuses not on the cruelty of slavery but the cruelty amongst slaves. The Ammarian slave holders, rather than being the antagonists, are portrayed as benign individuals whose good intentions are abused by those slaves who seek power over their own kind. Rydd explained “The play is not about slavery, it is about power. The juxtaposition between slave and slaveholder, which shows the latter to be basically powerless against a small group of slaves that effectively run the plantation, is a brilliant literary device that Dekkameron uses to great effect.”
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