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Protests Erupt as Lockdown Restrictions Remain in Saroq and Cascutia

By Kous Urum, written 25 March, 2024

Sateroc's fragile stability is threatened, as large-scale protests erupt over still-in-place lockdown restrictions

( S B N ) - Although the Sora virus has largely subsided globally, with cases steeply declining and many countries ending their lockdown, President Slach has stated that lockdown restrictions will remain in place in the regions of Cascutia and Saroq - while the rest of the country has been open for weeks. Of course, this has led to protests in both Cascutia and Saroq, protests not seen since the aftermath of the 2014 invasion of Saroq.

In mid-March, over the period of a few days, heads of provinces would announce that lockdown restrictions had been lifted, due to the federal government allowing them to do so. Notably, this excluded the two autonomous regions of Cascutia and Saroq, which both have not received any notices from the government allowing them to lift their lockdown restrictions. As a result, civilians have been forced to obey a curfew, avoid large social gatherings, and wear masks in public, while the rest of Sateroc has returned to normal.

After many Saroqi and Cascutian civilians voiced their anger at these policies on social media, the government seemingy doubled down, as regional administrations both restricted internet access for civilians in their respective regions for nearly several days. Following these developments, both regions saw calls for protests, which would be answered by their respective populations.

Yesterday, large protests were held all across Cascutian and Saroqi cities, protesting the governments continued lockdown policies. In Elmonton alone, hundreds of thousands of proestors broke local laws by participating in mass gatherings and refusing to wear masks. In Qaqarsville, many civilians reportedly broke their local curfew restrictions by continuing their protest later into the night.

In response to these protests, local police forces have been harsh on their crackdowns, with both Mathéo Romanov, chief administrative director of the Saroq province, and Fedot Portier, president of the Cascutian security council ordering the deployment of thousands of officers to crack down on the protests. However, the harsh crackdown has also led to many serious injuries amongst the protestors, as the demonstrations became rather violent overnight.

Today, the protests have seen a stark contrast compared to yesterday's, with a serious amount of rioting and looting occuring across major cities. Regional police have been just as violent in their response, reportedly using tear gas, rubber bullets, water hoses, and other equipment as a response to the riots. Many demonstrators and a number of police have been wounded, with protests continuing to worsen as calls for an end to regional lockdown restrictions continue to grow, and anger at the federal government begins to boil.

As a direct response to the protests, Romanov and Portier have both declared regional states of emergency, requesting President Slach to deploy troops to both regions to calm the protests down. President Slach, responding to the requests, has stated that he will hold an emergency meeting with his cabinet on Wednesday in order to decide the next course of action in terms of a possible direct intervention into Sateroc's two special administrative regions.

However, doing so could end up being a disaster for Kolkesburg. In less than a month, Sateroc will remember one year since the start of the 2023 conflict that tore the country into pieces for nearly a year. Although that war is over, the government has been forced to face the consequences. The nation's stability has remained extremely fragile since, and a decisive election this June could completely disrupt everything.

Alongside this, Saroq and Cascutia have each been facing problems of their own. In Saroq, ever since the 2014 invasion that basically forced the prosperous, yet unrecognized nation into Sateroc, protests have been non-stop, even after the 2019 revolution overthrew longtime dictator Georg Puoc. In fact, false promises by the democratic government to eventually allow Saroq its independence has led to even more anger within the Saroqi population. A local armed resistance by Saroqi partisans has also continued since 2014, which has been a thorn in Kolkesburg's side for years.

In Cascutia, which has been part of Sateroc for centuries, the regional armed resistance has been an essential part in its history. Ever since the 1960s, an armed insurgency by different groups against the Saterocian occupation has grown more and more. Heading into the 1990s, the conflict exploded into total war, as massacres, terrorist attacks, and full-on battles were the norm. This has led to increased repression by the Saterocian government against local Cascutians, even those who have remained innocent throughout the course of the conflict.

With the ongoing protests, both of these regional conflicts could seriously escalate into levels of violence never seen before in Sateroc's 21st century history, possibly even worse than the 2023 war.

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