Grassroots - the Official Newspaper of Bomballey

Congress of Workers' Councils announces creation of 'harmonization councils'

The Congress of Workers's Councils today passed a 'Basic Law' that will define its future workings. This Law cannot be modified but with a 75% vote; it lays out procedures for election, the nomination of officials, debate, and so on and so forth.

However, it also has set out a process for the creation of 'harmonization councils,' groups of sitting congressmembers that will harmonize the law of the Soviet Republic with that of the Confederation.

Already have a number of these councils been created, largely for the purpose of harmonizing economic law with the cantons; for example, severance taxes, and, more importantly, economic planning. As of now, no cantons have responded to these councils; however, it is expected that at least some will.

Of special importance to some of these councils, especially those on which more extreme congress members sit, is the immediate abolition of the carceral state and the establishment of a free association of producers. However, it is unlikely that harmonization will be found on these fronts; cantonal legislatures, if they support the two at all, generally advocate for a more gradual process.

However, there certainly exists a push for unity. Even Eva van der Bijl, largely considered to be extreme in her views, believes that division is no longer appropriate, believing it to be 'the beginning of the end; the creation of an opening for the infiltration of capitalist elements.' In essence, antagonization would lead to disaster, especially in the current tense political climate.

Even now are issues arising: Thierry de la Rocque, long the nemesis of Ms. van der Bijl, has yet again rallied in opposition. "We cannot allow these traitors to remain in our country," he stated today in reference to the Congress of Workers' Councils. "They have betrayed the movement, betrayed the liberation; they are a threat to us all. Exile them!"

Few, however, appear to agree with him. "Nonsense, coming from a man who outright support nationalization," said an individual who wishes to remain unidentified. "Now he is calling decentralization and localism traitorous. He is a bag of filth who deceived us all."

How to get out of the country

The regime of Josephine Areai is terrifyingly authoritarian. Her military, her People's Militia; together they have already murdered thousands, and certainly will murder thousands more. The bodies and the blood strewn on the streets of every city and town are evidence of this.

In the woods, one is likely to be killed by a growing guerilla force led by Eva van der Bijl. Even in the cities, one can be attacked by citizens of Haane-Keste, ordered to fight for their country.

The mobs, in almost 90% of the country, are still largely in control. Fires, bombings, and shootings are everywhere; no one is safe, even within their own home.

In essence, Eastern Haane has become hell on Earth. The only question is how to get out of it. One cannot even go outside without being shot in most of the country; in those parts that are safe, if you even try to leave without 'authorization,' likely to be impossible to get, you will be killed brutally.

There is, however, a safe way out of the country.

Within the region with a Dutch-speaking plurality, there is a wide gap on the coast between cities. This gap is a national park; it is free of the military and of the mobs. The cities adjacent to it are relatively safe; while none are free of mobs, it is unlikely that one will die in them. If one can travel to these cities, one can find their way to the park and take the trail at Trailhead 1. About 9 km. in, there will be a meadow. Turn to the left, then walk across the meadow. You will eventually reach a cliff. Near you should be a notch in the land. There are stair-like formations here; they are steep but traversable. Walk down these formations to the narrow beach. About 4 km. away should be an island, upon it a tower. Swim to this island and enter the tower. Within it should be a radio, with which you should be able to call for help. Do not call for this help in French, Danish, German, Dutch, or English; call for it in Czech, Malboryan, or Latin. This will ensure that the Haanean army will not suspect you to be there. To help you in this, there will be a number of phrasebooks scattered throughout the tower.

Help should arrive at some point. It is not guaranteed however. If no help arrives within a day, you are better off swimming for Czech Slavia.

There is another, slightly more dangerous way. In most of French-plurality Eastern Haane, sinkholes dot the countryside. These sinkholes are the remnants of a large underground river that once flowed to the Mediterranean. According to reports from 2019, one can travel out of the country by entering these holes and thus the cave created by the former river. It will take a total of one week; be well prepared, for there will no clean water or food in the cave.

The final and most dangerous way to escape is to jump the border. This is safest with the border with Belarum; one can make their way to the large national park that occupies the area and wander to the border. This will take between one to two days; however, one must be on guard for military officials, for they patrol the area.

Stand against the Areai government through any means. Do whatever you can to overthrow it.

Republic proclaimed in Mulhouse

As mob rule continues to consume the nation, in the southern city of Mulhouse, a new republic has been declared on the lines of the former 1927 constitution.

The city, left without a functional government after the killing of the local and cantonal assemblies and tribunals, was the site of some of the most violent massacres of this conflict. The city was especially divided, with up to 17 groups competing for control over it, each terrorizing those who they held dominion over. Forced labor, massacres, and crucifixions have been reported from the area. On the 6th of September, forces of the Soviet Republic entered the city, resulting in a hand-to-hand battle that lasted 24 hours, during an unknown number of individuals were killed or executed. As the city fell, residents were forced to march into the countryside. Many were caught in the crossfire; a number of others died of exhaustion; some more were executed for various reasons.

A new workers' council was formed; however, many were dissatisfied with it. The Soviet Republic, in their eyes, was far too extreme. It was in these conditions that the Republic was declared.

It organizes the state on corporatist lines, dividing society into 7 professional bodies. These professional bodies shall legislate on less important issues such as professional norms; a "National Assembly," elected from these bodies, would legislate on issues of greater importance.

There would exist a 7 member presidency, one for each of the professional bodies. The Presidency would not be able to make decrees; it would only be able to enforce the law and represent the country in international affairs.

Elections have not been held; they are planned for the 12th. The Soviet Republic has not taken any action against the new government; it is unlikely that it will.

The Republic currently controls about half of the Canton of Mulhouse, previously won in the battle of Sep. 6 by the Soviet Republic. Sporadic violence continues.

Republican forces take undefended cities in the north

The mobs never took hold in much of the Danish-plurality territories. They were, as such, left largely undamaged. Areai's declaration was initially accepted; however, as news of massacres spread from the south, many began to oppose the regime. With exceeding small loyalist presence in the city as the result of their diversion to the battles in the south, the cities were left entirely open for the taking.

At 5:00, in the darkness of the early morning, a coalition of guerilla forces from the Soviet Republic, the Republic, and the State of Haane Keste encircled the city. In Skagen, the city furthest away from the loyalist center of support, fireworks were set off to warn residents of the coming invasion.

Urban guerillas emerged from their hiding places within the cities, attempting to rally support. Massive crowds joined them. At around 6:00, loyalist forces in the People's Militias of the area attempted to fire upon these crowds. Most were stopped by defectors within the force, who would proceed to join the crowds.

No attack was mounted after this; those that had encircled the city entered it marching as the sun rose over the horizon, met with cheers from the assembled populace. A workers' council was created and the Republic was declared to have control over the city. Members of the native community gathered alongside the forces of the State of Haane-Keste, the native government, in an assembly to elect new members of their local governing council, whose previous members had been killed during the occupation of the Areai regime.

The Soviet Republic's cells in the area declared their intention to govern alongside the Republic, as was the case before the coup of Josephine Areai, setting a new precedent that will likely be followed in all other areas under joint Republican-Soviet control. The State of Haane-Keste's cooperation is also of great importance, for it signifies, for the first time in several months, a support of the non-native governments.

Kiel is liberated

At twilight, a mutiny began in Kiel. Members of the People's Militia as well as the military rose up in defiance of the Areai government, arresting their superiors before declaring loyalty to the Republic. As the populace began to realize what was happening, many took to the streets to celebrate the liberation, joining the mutinous forces in marching through the city and declaring its newfound freedom. A workers' council was formed, and republican institutions, such as the professional groups, were set up.

The government of Josephine Areai attempted to command remaining loyalists to fight against the mutiny. This action failed within fifteen minutes, and Areai was forced to flee the city, hidden, by all accounts, in the trunk of a car. The government has since relocated to a farm outside of Kiel, although the exact location remains unknown.

Urban guerillas came into the open, and were celebrated for their role in resisting the short-lived Areai regime in Kiel. Those in the rural areas sent delegates to the workers' council in the city.

A road connecting Kiel to the northern liberated portions of the country, largely undefended as a result of the fighting in the south, was seized in a four-hour long operation.

Midnight Agreement: Haanean State and Republic merge

In the dark of the night, representatives of the Republic, the Soviet Republic, the State of Haane-Keste, and the Haanean State met at a collective farm several kilometers from Kiel, as to discuss a possible unification. The talks, beginning at 21:00, were successful, and concluded at 0:00 with the signing of the "Treaty of Collective Farm 49-H," otherwise known as the 'Midnight Agreement,' due to the time at which it was signed.

The Treaty stipulates the following:

the Republic and the Haanean State shall be merged into a single state, under the name of the Republic but the constitution of the State
the institutions of the Republic will serve as the provisional government of the new Republic under the new constitution.
the Soviet Republic will renounce its position as a sovereign state.
the Workers' Councils will remain autonomous; however, they must abide by the Constitution and actively enforce the law of the Republic
The Republic and the State of Haane-Keste both will continue to follow the original 1899 Treaty between their precursors.
The State of Haane-Keste must release the Patriarch and restore his former position.
The State of Haane-Keste must remain secular for the next 30 years.
Elections shall be held on January 2nd.

Areai: I will stand trial in Europolis

Josephine Areai appears to have recovered from her temporary insanity, and made a public statement in the temporary capital of the illegitimate confederation.

"We shall return, the sole and legitimate government of Eastern Haane," she proclaimed in its central square, surrounded by members of her personal guard. "We have begun the process of national rejuvenation; Eastern Haane has been purged with fire; now, it shall rise again, magnitudes greater than it ever was!"

A thunderous applause in unison came from those assembled in the square, surrounded on all sides by those in Areai's dwindling military.

"Unity, work, and nation! These are the principles of our new Eastern Haane, our motherland once so near to death but now bursting with new life. All of us, comrades, all of us have contributed to this, and must continue to contribute to this. We must join together to continue to rebuild our beloved nation."

More applause; several people were led away by members of the military, into what has been reported to be a vacant apartment building.

"We shall establish an Eastern Haane organic, socialist, corporatist, and republican; an Eastern Haane above all!"

The same applause in unison followed; it was generally more scattered. A large number of people were led away by the military into the apartment building.

"Neither language nor culture nor race nor religion shall stand in the way of the national spirit, the national movement, for we are the nation and the nation is us; there is no other; it is all-encompassing. All of this shall be torn down and trampled upon by we patriots, the children of Eastern Haane; we shall do away with the old entirely and establish the new, as was done in Austria and so many other nations. We shall establish a revolutionary state of the patriots, united in the nation, one which will quickly rid our Eastern Haane of the disease that has plagued it; but one that will always, always, without fail, serve the nation!"

A number of people were led into the square; these people, as well as those remaining, clapped thunderously, yet again, in unison.

"And yet those outside of our nation; those cockroaches that dare to speak for us; they wish to undermine our glorious movement and revolution for the rebirth of our motherland. They wish to destroy all that we have accomplished and replace it with the same instability that has so plagued our beloved for so long, replace it with the instability that will provide them with all that they need. We must stand against this in all ways possible, for we patriots; we are all soldiers in defence of our Eastern Haane!"

Another applause.

"And yet, in this defence, I will 'submit' to them. Let them try me; they will find no fault. I will stand trial in Europolis, if they want; I will stand trial anywhere. But they will find nothing, for I have done nothing but facilitate the rebirth of my nation!"

A final applause, louder than all the rest, accompanied by cheering, lasting for over fifteen minutes. Areai was led into the building behind her by her guards.

Republic of Eastern Haane to leave European Union in two weeks

((OOC: I as a player am not leaving the EU; after this, Austria will become my main and only nation. All existing RPs that I am involved will be changed as to fit this.))

Marine Marchand, on the advice of the Provisional National Convention, has begun the process of leaving the European Union.

"What has our membership in this forsaken Union ever done for us?" she asked in a public statement held at the Kiel Central Square to members of the Resistance who had helped liberate the city. "We have only suffered endlessly as a result of it. The government of Andries van Hoebeek, already corrupt, betrayed what few principles it had in an attempt to remain true to the neoliberal principles of the European Union, resulting in the beginnings of a revolution; a revolution of unnecessary violence, especially given that elections were scheduled for only a month later; and one that was maintained by allegations of vote-rigging, some of which were true, in the Commission elections. There was then a period of relative calm, after which came the Eurovoice Song Competition. The two at the center of this competition in Eastern Haane, Agnes Obel and Tristan Murail, were at the Essen Castle at the time, due to a tradition. They became intoxicated on a drug known as ievonuia, resulting in a mass-murder on the behalf of Murail that occurred as he reported the results of the competition to those in Angleter. These events resulted in a nationalist fury on the behalf of the aboriginal people, to whom ievonuia is a drug of cultural and religious importance; a fury that spread to much of Eastern Haane's ethnic groups. It was seized upon by agitators within the country, and resulted in yet another revolution that led to the rise of Josephine Areai and the demise of Katrin Weber. Within a month of this event, commission elections, in which there were no candidates even near suitable, were held, resulting in a flood of anger and worry, much of which was caused as a result of the vote rigging that occurred in the last election. A bloody rampage began across the country, killing tens of thousands in its first day. Josephine Areai declared herself dictator of the nation, and began a series of massacres across the country, exterminating the rampage but also dissent and the cultural institutions of our nation.

As a resistance force gained territory, those mobs that were responsible for the rampage began to restructure themselves into political units that truly terrorized the people. Thousands were executed for 'betraying the revolution;' many more were forced to march tens of kilometers in the countryside as to provide labor for a failed agricultural and industrial system, destroyed in the initial wave of the rampage. Food supplies ran dangerously low as a result of the destruction; many began to starve. Access to even the most basic utilities were cut off as well because of this.

Those who could fled the country, resulting in a never seen before refugee crisis during which nearly 1 million people left the country in a matter of two days.

An uncountable number of people were killed as a result of the massacres, the fighting, and the political repression; even more through starvation and disease brought on through the collapse of Eastern Haane's infrastructure. This is still ongoing."

At this Marchand paused, total silence from the assembled.

"If we were not members of the European Union; if we had no 'commission elections;' if we did not even know of the 'Eurovoice Song Contest;' none of these horrors would have happened. We would not be here, slowly starving to death in a country totally destroyed by less than a week of war. We would not be here, remembering those near us who have died; remembering the horrors of being marched back and forth through the countryside at gunpoint; the horrors of constantly being in hiding as the multitudes are taken out of the cities and villages to some unknown locale; the horrors of being tortured at the hands of the merciless; the horrors of being maimed against a brutal enemy with no sense of anything but destruction. We would not be here! We would be safe, we would be happy, and we would be thriving! And yet we have forsaken all of this to be members of a Union. We must, and we will, leave, so that we may at the very least remain living. But we will give them a final chance of two weeks. We are begging for aid, for we are dying. We do not need bombs nor an intervention; we need clean water, clean food, and much more."

Katrin Weber is dead

Katrin Weber, the former Consul and later Premier, of Eastern Haane, was pronounced dead this morning at the Kiel General Hospital. At 6:03, she arrived at the reopened Kiel Airport, on a private government plane, from Europolis, where she had remained for the duration of the violence. As fleeing citizens saw her, they were suddenly overcome by rage, overpowering guards at the bottom of the airstair of the aircraft before grabbing her. She was repeatedly clubbed before being forcefully thrown to the ground and trampled upon. It took over an hour for the crowd to disperse, after which Weber, unrecognizable, was discovered, struggling to live.

She was rushed to the General Hospital, where she would live in agony for another five minutes before finally dying at the hand of an angry nurse, who repeatedly stabbed her with a pair of children's scissors.

As her body was placed in the morgue, a group of doctors and nurses snatched it, running out of the hospital with it and driving out of the city using a hospital van before throwing it into a ditch in the side of the road. A group of farmers discovered it, before feeding it to their pigs and grinding her bones into bone meal, which was then used to fertilize their crops.

Fifteen individuals involved in her death, including the nurse, as well as the doctors and nurses responsible for the snatching of the body and the farmers who fed it to their pigs have been arrested; the others have managed to leave the country.

At the time of her death, Weber was an intensely hated individual, with many connecting her to the short-lived Areai regime. This may explain the reason why so much was done to her body.

Hoebeek case dismissed out of hand

By order of the European Court of Justice, the case of Andries van Hoebeek was meant to be retried by the Kiel Workers' Council. The sole judge who survived the terror of Areai, being treated in hospital for the removal of his limbs, today rejected the hearing of the case, ruling that the case was vexatious, as a result of an "extreme" lack of evidence.

"I have not been presented with even the smallest modicum of evidence in support of any of the charges presented," said he before gasping in pain.

He was sedated afterward by nurses, after which reporters were led out of the room.

As National Convention burns down, Hoebeek and other politicians nailed to wall by mob

The National Convention building, as the Provisional National Convention met to plan the next election, was, after the death of Katrin Weber, surrounded by a pro-Weber mob, which demanded than an apology be made and that those responsible be kidnapped or extradited from the countries they fled to before being put to death by submersion in sulfuric acid.

When no response was made within five minutes, a fire was started in the building, after which all of its entrances, exits, and windows were blocked. Screaming could be heard from inside as the building began to collapse. Firefighters were clubbed to death.

The building soon collapsed, and its remains were searched. A number of survivors were found; by all accounts, these were also clubbed to death.

Similar events occurred in all other cities, with the murder of cantonal or municipal governments.

Meanwhile, a number of politicians were rounded up in Kiel by a newly formed "People's Assembly," including Andries van Hoebeek, Eva van der Bijl, and Miranda Areai, the 97 year old mother of Josephine Areai.

A total of thirty were found; all were nailed to the sides of buildings in a public square and left to die, screaming in agony. A large crowd gathered, cheering on the deaths, at times pressing sharp or hot objects into the bodies of the dying politicians.

This, too, was repeated in all other cities and towns in Eastern Haane, in an event that is at this time ongoing.

The People's Assembly has proclaimed that it has left the European Union, and many others have followed suit.

Areai retakes large swathes of territory, proclaims Haanean Empire; cannibalism reported; EU councillor among the dead; body of Comtois exhumed

The government of Josephine Areai has again risen to prominence. With the recent creation of a power vacuum, she has retaken, in the span of a few hours, all territory north and west of Kiel, inclusive.

A number of atrocities, however, have been reported from the area. According to eyewitness reports, Areai's soldiers indiscriminately killed, resulting in gruesome scenes in which piles of bodies were seen dotting the roads of the cities, rivulets of blood streaming into gutters and falling into stormdrains, the smell of metal in the air.

They then engaged in the wholesale deportation of the population of Kiel, forcing them to march several kilometers to ad hoc concentration camps where they were expected to work in the recreation of industry and the rejuvenation of agriculture. Escapees have reported the usage of torture, especially branding, as well as the institution of a bizarre religion in which individuals were expected to worship and devote themselves to Areai.

Areai, meanwhile, claimed that the nation had become her body, and that through her everything existed. She then proclaimed Eastern Haane to be an absolute monarchy with her as its immortal head, naming it the "Haanean Empire." She allegedly plans to institute a neo-feudalist economy.

In cities which remain under the control of "People's Assemblies," mass cannibalism was reported. As those initially nailed to walls died, more were found and nailed, and so on and so forth. Many have already died; a number of accounts have stated that the bodies were thrown into crowds before being eaten raw in an animalistic way.

By all accounts, the bones were loaded into trucks before being driven off to be made into bone meal. What remains of the flesh was stripped off from the bone and let to decompose as to use as fertilizer.

EU councillor Martin Bourgaize, who had returned to Eastern Haane to visit his husband and children, was among the dead. He was not killed in the first wave; instead, he was forced to watch his husband and children die and be eaten , while at the same time being tortured with a heated brand, before suffering the same fate.

Meanwhile, as the forces of Areai closed in, forces of the People's Assembly reportedly exhumed the body of Mathilde Comtois before cutting it into pieces. By all accounts, the body was burned and the ashes and bones ground to a dust which was then thrown into the Great Lake.k

Death cults form; mass suicides occur in countryside

As atrocities occur across Eastern Haane, a number of death cults have begun to form, proclaiming the liberation of the spirit from the body with death. Many have become attracted to these, and mass suicides have started to occur.

With only eight million people left within the country and fast declining, these gruesome events have only worsened the situation. Large "caravans" of people were seen emerging from cities, entering villages razed in the previous conflict before ingesting cyanide and other poisons. Individuals attempting to flee the country have discovered scenes in which rotting bodies, emitting a putrid, sickly sweet smell, have been discovered in endless rows, all contorted, their faces in various expressions of pain, a white foam dotting their mouths.

The phenomenon existed within the cities as well, with many individuals setting themselves on fire, shooting, or poisoning themselves. This is mainly a group activity however; an estimated 85% of suicides involved at least ten others.

Nothing is being done to dispel the suicides, save for a program in which 'suspicious' individuals are thrown off buildings, while 'risky' ones are forced to work in the countryside to 'reform their minds.' Escapees have described torture as being a major part of this reformation.

The bodies are generally burnt before being thrown into lakes by authorities; they are not used as fertilizer as a result of the cyanide ingestion.

The activity of burning the bodies has driven many public servants to insanity, causing them too to join the cults, further increasing the terror and the deportations to the countryside.

hElp me

They are coming for us. Them. Them. Help us. We will all die. Hell has truly come, come for the first time. Everyone is dead; and we are next. Oh, God, have mercy on us! Have mercy! Have mercy! Have mercy, oh most Great God!

We are surrounded by darkness, by demons, and now we shall be overcome. We have lived lives of sin; but now we repent. God, deliver us! Oh most holy God, holy of holies, deliver us from this madness!

Hear us! Have mercy!

Have mercy!

They shall not pass! Have mercy! Let us survive this hell, this hell more terrible than hell! We are dying, dying. Deliver us!

We beg

Oh nations of Europe, we have appealed to God. We have faith that He will answer; but we are surrounded, surrounded by demons and darkness.

We are all at the foot of death, at the doors of Hell. Deliver us; we beg of you to do something to liberate us from this hell! The masses have truly gone mad, tortured; we are afraid that we will as well, if it comes too late.

Everyone is mad, the demons are everywhere. Deliver us, liberate us, intervene! We beg of you!

May God be with you.

They are here

Do you not hear them, screaming? Do you not hear their bangs? They are the tortured masses of Hell, screaming as they are tortured. We are all sinners, all condemned to Hell. Nothing shall come; we are already dead, and this is our punishment.

Let the living pray for us, let God have mercy. But we shall have none, for we have rejected him. This is our punishment; by holding it off we are only torturing ourselves more.

It is too late. We have already condemned ourselves. We shall die a thousand, a million, painful deaths, for that is our inheritance.

Let it come.

They are all gone

The demons have taken them elsewhere, to some other hell. I don't know where I am.

Pierre, Marie, all of them, they have been taken, and I have been left here, to suffer in the pools of the blood and with the rotting bodies. There is no food, no water, but what does that matter when we are all dead? We are truly, truly in Hell, for I cannot imagine anything worse.

The door is red-hot; the flames dance outside, the masses dancing in them crazily back and forth, falling as they are singed too far. They are lucky, in that they cannot feel right now. They will now, but at the very least, God has given them that mercy. He has not given it to me. This suffering shall be eternal. I don't remember what I did; but I was a sinner, an apostate, and have received. He is not there; He is not here. There is no God, not here. He exists; but elsewhere. He has rejected us, for we were the evil.

What have we done? What have we done? Have mercy on us, if you can hear! Have mercy! Have mercy, oh most holy God!

Taste the flesh

The flesh is good. It is good. Taste it. He had forbidden us to eat it, but it is good. Taste it. Taste the flesh. Otherwise I must taste you. You are good. You are flesh. Taste it. Taste it. Taste the flesh.

Death is a sweet bliss

Death is here, but we must except it. She will liberate us from this existence. Take sweet death, and we shall be free, with only a little pain. The world has gone crazy, and we live a living hell; but we can escape, if only we accept that which we once shunned. We shall be free, with only a little pain. Take the death, sweet death, sweet death.

It

We are happy. We are happy. We are happy. We are liberated. The flesh is here. Take it. Eat it. You shall be liberated. We are happy. We are happy. We are happy. We are happy. We are happy. Liberated. Take the flesh. Eat the flesh. Taste it. Taste it.