NationStates Jolt Archive

From a podium in the centre of Luxembourg City to an assembled crowd by an anonymous speaker:

My friends and countrymen, yesterday we saw the brutality and destruction that the old powers bring to Luxembourg! The new Grand Duke would have us abandon our long history of greatness and become annexed into Belgium! He would have us destroy our sovereignty and abandon rule to a foreign power, this cannot be allowed and we must surely oppose this horrific non-democratic move.

The recent lack of health and safety measures in our foundries was highlighted recently with the death of more than 500 of our kinsmen in a disaster which could so easily have been averted by simple safety checks installed by a government who cares. Instead we get a fascist leader who ignores such considerations and would have us die in droves instead of shell out a small amount of money to implement safety measures. I for one cannot allow this to continue and we must do something about it!

<Shouts of agreement from crowd>

Further to this the unlawful intervention of foreign troops in our protest yesterday that cost us many lives is disgraceful and shows how committed our leader is to this union with Belgium and how little he cares for the lives of his people. Well then citizens of Luxembourg, I propose that we change this and rebel against our cruel and callous governors and show them what real people can do. Let’s take the fight for freedom and democracy to them and storm the government buildings! Are you with me?

<Exultant cheers from crowd and general movement towards the town centre>

The crowd, approximately 2000 people strong marched towards the government quarter, many of it’s members picking up iron bars, planks of wood, bricks and other weapons on the way. In addition, a few went home and grabbed their shotguns, which had previously only been used for shooting errant foxes and hunting ducks. Most of the crowd wore their worker’s overalls and had jsut come from the steel factories, however many were farmers and other labourers whilst some wore smart clothes that marked them out as members of the middle class. But all marched with one idea in mind: “To take back Luxembourg for the people”


“No-one can stop us now!” They thought. as they rounded the last corner before the parliament and royal residences.

OOC: Whilst it may not be true much of the above was obviously embellished by the speaker to stir upo hatred and anger in the crowd against the ruling powers.

(OOC: technically it's now 1901 so the events couldn't have happened on New years day, could they? *Thinks to self*)

a man ran into the Dukes office, "Grand Duke, there is a large mob of LWU moving towards this building, we need to get you out of here!" The Duke looked shocked, "so soon?" It had only been a day since the New Years Eve Riot, it was still fresh in everybodies mind, "contact Belgium again, see if they wish to assist, tell them we will greatly compensate for any damages they may take, have the Military police assembled!" The Duke began to bark out orders "Yessir it has already been arranged, but we need to get you away to the Bunker!" The Duke was ushered away down into a small room, a thick door was shut behind them, it will only be a matter of time.

Officer Willhelm once again stood at the front of the moving Police force, they were all tired from yesterday's events, this time they did not feel like taking any sh*t and so they were all armed but also very rag-tag, a few Upper class toffs had joined in with the rabble like Police Ranks, they turned a corner and sighted the mob, Police immediatly began taking shots at the crowd.

OOC: sorry I began typing it yesterday when it was still 1900

Men at the front of the crowd began to fall and were crushed under the feet of those following, the firing only seemed to fuel their hatred. They rushed up closer to the police lines where they began to take horrendous short range casualties but were able to begin replying with bricks and shotgun shells.

Some men who had obsolete target and hunting rifles ran into the nearby buildiings and sniped rather ineffectively out of the windows at the police ranks below them.

The Police had established a secure front line, and were now firing at random, not bothering to find targets but instead just shooting into the mob, a brick would strike down a Policeman every now and then but nothing too serious.

Gunshots could be heard inside the Bunker as the Duke awaited the results of the battle that was going on outside, he gulped, he had never been this close to death before.

The mob were beginning to feel the effects of the police fire now as more and more of their comrades fell beside them. They were beginning to fall abck when the speaker from before ran to their front and shouted:

"Can't you see this is how the Grand Duke repays our hard labours, by killing his own people! FOR FREEDOM!"

With those words still on his lips he was shot in the back of the head by police rifles. The mob seemed not to notice and once again surged fowards, towards what seemed to be certain death.

The Speakers words rang in the heads of some of the Police but they shook it off and continued, they had now cracked the leadership of the rebels, this was the second LWU leader in as many days to be killed, the Police now surged forwards into a bloody close combat.

The crowd began to fight vicously clubbing and beating their opponents with anything they had to hand, iron bars, blocks of wood, bricks and even their bare fists. However, dispite their ferocity they were slowly but surely being beaten back by the better training of the police. The police rifles were being wielded as clubs giving them extra reach in the street fighting and many of the protestors began to back away from this threat and towards the safety of the houses behind. This gradual trend soon began a rush and hundreds of men took up refuge in the buildings desperate to hold them and begin to fight on their own terms again. A few die hard supporters remained on the street, which was by now thick with blood, but they were soon overpowered and incapacitated.

The Police rather than directly fight those trapped in buildings decided to fall back out of range, they figured that they could do no harm inside buildings and so they would need to come out in order to fight the Police, the army waited.

The people in the buildings could see that the police had no intention of engaging in any close quarters fighting and became disheartened. They decided to wait and see what would happen, whilst still fortifying their refuges and preparing for the inevitable fighting to come and possible arrival of enemy reinforcements.

Those inside tried to plead with their opressors:

"Can't you see this is wrong?" They shouted to the police. "Why are we fighting? The real criminals are safely inside the parliamentry bunker, it is they who wish to destroy our nation and merge with Belgium. How can you take orders from them?"

OOC: need food, I will post more later.

Officer Willhelm became angered at the lies being shouted out to the Police, "you ignorant little men! The Duke plans on siding with Belgium for the good of both lands! Wheras you, you just plan on helping yourselves! We give you one last chance to surrender!"

OOC: sorry im late lets pretend i responded cus i havent been checking the forums....

IC: The entire Commando Division was brought in this time. A full 20,000 men with rifles, machine guns, and snipers. General Killovern had his snipers find buildings to snipe ffrom. Their first targets were the ineffective LWU snipers. They would be assisted by a Machine Gun on the same building to fire into the crowd. The mass infantry were ordered to follow the street the LWU came in thru and any intersecting streets to surround them. General Killovern was escorted to the bunker to be breifed by Grand Duke William IV...

The LWU men, knowing there was no escape from such a desperate situation, resigned themselves totheir fate and prepared the defences, determined that they should, at least, "Take one with them".

Windows were boarded up and doors blocked. Men began loading what weapons were available and readying themselves for the defence of the houses.

The Grand Duke, safe in the knowledge that the outside was secure had now been taken back into his office, a General Kilovern was waiting for him there, "if you are here to be briefed on the situation i cannot help you, all i know is that the LWU turned up and starting firing, if you want a full briefing talk to Officer Willhelm, he'll be out on the front."

Willhelm was indeed out on the front, he was surveying the situation, the LWU were pinned but he wanted to reduce his casualties and so an all out assault was not the best option, instead he ordered snipers to take the rooftops around the houses and to pick off any LWU soldier they see.

Belgian Commandos broke down doors and killed all they could find. They took to the roof top safter killing the poorly armed LWU and began firing indiscriminate bursts of machine gun into the LWU crowd. Snipers were picking off all armed rioters they could find...

"Officer Willhelm! Officer Willhelm! Ah there you are I was told that I could be briefed by you. Is that possible?"

"it's possible, but i'm not sure there's anything i could tell you that you don't already know, the LWU turned up at the gates, then we turned up, it became a bloody scene it truly was, then we marched forwards and met them in combat, most of the b*ggers ended up in them houses, we need to flush 'em out and kill them asap!"

"I have men in the buildings trying to flush them out right now and if my eyes aren't decieving me they are already done with that and on the buildings killing those in the crowd. I believe the problme will be quelled shortly."

"the problem never will be quelled the LWU are going to be a constant stain on our otherwise perfect land!"

"If they would let us discuss the alliance then they would see we do not wish annexation but friendship and trade! If they weren't ignorant they could see that!"

"yes they truly are ignorant, but there is nothing we can do but pray that the message gets across to them"

"Unfortunately that is the case. I hope these negotiations (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=429470) get off the ground..."

The casualties resulting from the riots are expected to be extremely high, more than 300 bodies have already been recovered from the area as well as many hundreds more wounded in the action, with numbers expected to rise as more detailed searches begin and people begin report to doctors and hospitals. Experts suggest a final figure of around 400 dead and 1000-1300 injured to some degree.

An anonymous LWU spokesperson has promised that this is not the end and that they will continue to fight for a democratic, just and free Luxembourg.