Cildania

[Pragma]

     

     Homosexuality Decriminalised After Despott U-Turn
     10 February 5328

In a surprising turn of events, the right-wing One Flag party has submitted a bill to the Council of Deputies that would remove the unenforced law against homosexual relations. The law was briefly scuppered entirely after the return of multi-party democracy but was reintroduced in party through the efforts of Denzilee Depares. As a compromise, the laws were not enforced very stringently under Benaglia and are now completely unenforced under the Alagona-led coalition. BW deputies have either voted for or abstained, with all other parties besides the Order of Saint Sebastian supporting the bill. The Constitutionalist Party are also though to be split on the proposal.

That One Flag would be the party spearheading its repeal is a sign of the steps Yan Despott has been taking to 'de-toxify' the image of the party. With only the Order of Saint Sebastian to their right, One Flag lacks natural allies if the wish to return to government despite their solid base of support from Hebileans and other rural conservatives. By dropping opposition to the most basic of LGBT rights, Despott has distanced himself significantly from Depares's aggressive anti-gay rhetoric. Much of One Flag's attention since entering opposition has been on devolving agricultural policy further, to varying levels of success. Despott has also condemned anti-Yeudi sentiment in a recent speech to party organisers in Aheblun. There is increasingly discussion within the party of introducing another resolution to the Council of Deputies explicitly denouncing violence against Yeudis.

     Illum Kinaan is a news agency based in the Kinaan region of Cildania. It covers both local and national current events.

[Zanz]

13 March 5328
Yeudi leaders "cautiously support" efforts in Council to address
antiyeudish trends
Bills to condemn antiyeudish violence, mandate proactive policing, and join international treaties
recognizing racial equality are "good first steps"

Qart Qildar: Rabbi Ġakobb Hosegħa has been a particularly busy man in the period since the Order of
Saint Sebastian (OtSB) won 51 seats in the Council of Deputies. Alongside maintaining his duties as rabbi
of a large synagogue in Qart Qildar, the Rav has more and more played a role in the national spotlight
as a leading advocate for the protection of Cildanian Yeudis from a rise in antiyeudish violence since
the OtSB shock.

Il-Ġurnal spoke with the Rav in the garden of the temple Shaarei Shomayim, where he told us he had
just completed a day of counseling sessions and was preparing to travel to the Council of Deputies
tomorrow where he will join other Yeudi leaders in lobbying for the passage of several bills in debate
in the Council.

"There is some small hope that the situation will improve quite quickly," he told us. "There is commitment
at least from some in the Council to formally recognize racial equality, as well as to
better police antiyeudish violence. These are good first steps. There is also an effort, even from those
who have historically been questionable allies for Cildanian Yeudis, to condemn antiyeudish violence."
Asked if by this he meant Bandiera Waħda (BW), whose history with the Yeudi community is very fraught,
the Rav only smiled.

Rav Hosegħa's demurring response to the question, however, was not necessarily representative of other
views in the Yeudi community. Rabbi Danjel Pisani of Torah V’Avodah, a large Orthodox synagogue in
western Qart Qildar, harbors doubts about the apparent BW about-face.

"You'll forgive me if I am reluctant to place my hopes in the hands of those who claim we must engage in
'understanding and dialogue' with antiyeudish criminals. It is not enough, and our people will bleed in the
name of the right to OtSB 'free speech."


Il-Ġurnal is a broadsheet daily newspaper in Cildania, owned by the Magro Family. The newspaper has a 'moderate' editorial bent.

[jamescfm]

⬆ Image source

Concerns raised about Cildania’s crackdown on anti-Yeudi hate crimes
11 September 5328


Human rights group Justice Forum has released a report criticising the Cildanian government’s “crackdown” on anti-Yeudi violence. Earlier this year, Minister of the Interior Edera Galdes-Bajada directed the Cildanian police to take a “zero tolerance approach” to anti-Yeudi crime. Despite recognising the importance of dealing with the issue, Justice Forum says the response of the Cildania Police Force has been flawed and inconsistent.

According to the report, the Cildania Police Force have prioritised arrests over justice. The approach has led to dozens of innocent people being arrested in an attempt to demonstrate a “hard line stance”. Among those arrested, the conviction rate is often low. In some regions, the report suggests that fewer than ten per cent of cases ever reach trial.

Among the data, the Justice Forum report presents some illustrative case studies. In a case in Har Jafe, an unnamed man reported his neighbours for assaulting him while shouting anti-Yeudi slurs. Cildanian police arrested the neighbours, a middle-aged Yeudi couple. The pair spent several days in jail. Eventually it became clear that the man who had reported them had himself been arrested on two previous occasions for harassing the couple.

At present there has been no response from the government to the report’s publication. In the past few weeks though, Prime Minister Guiliano Alagona has defended the approach as “necessary to deal with the scourge of anti-Yeudism”. Yeudi community leaders had previously been mostly positive about the development. When the directive was issued in March, several senior rabbis offered their “cautious support”.

Anti-Yeudi crime has become a sensitive political issue since the emergence of the neo-fascist Order of Saint Sebastian (OtSB). Last year, the Center for Yeudi Safety highlighted a significant increase in anti-Yeudi violence since the OtSB entered the Council of Deputies. According to reports, the Cildanian government is under pressure from Yishelem to take action on the problem. Beiteynu has the world’s largest Yeudi population. Prime Minister Alagona is expected to visit the country in the coming months.


     Majatran Eye is a broadsheet newspaper available throughout Majatra focusing on international economic and political affairs

[TRA]

Beiteynu
November 5328 - Yishelem amps up its pressure on Cildania

[Pragma]

12 February 5329
Giudice criticises 'counterproductive' Yeudi policy, Beiteynu 'interference'
Former Defence Minister and One Flag Deputy Party Leader Margerita Giudice has said the policies do more harm than good
_________________________________________________________________________________

Margerita Giudice has called the government's crackdown on anti-Yeudi sentiment 'counterproductive' after a series of highly publicised stories that have called the policy into question. The policy is 'unnecessarily heavy-handed', says Giudice, who further suggests that the aggression of the policy could lead to resentment towards Yeudis and their advocates. Noting the seriousness of anti-Yeudism, the former Defence Minister suggested that the government should do more work to understand the origins and motivations of anti-Yeudism rather than demanding more 'capricious arrests'.

Arrests so far have rarely resulted in convictions and several cases of mistaken identity or false police reports have been noted. Beiteynu has pushed hard for the government to act on anti-Yeudi violence, even chastising the Cildanian police for their 'inept' responses. Giudice, though highly critical of the government, told party members at a gathering earlier this month that Cildanians should be 'weary' of the 'interference' of foreign states in Cildania's internal affairs - though at the time she did not explicitly mention any nation. Now however, Giudice tells Il Bandiera Indipendenti that Beiteynu is in fact the nation she is concerned about and mentioned that the majority-Yeudi majatran nation was a one-party state that 'explicitly favours one ethnic group within its borders'.

Giudice was the Defence Minister under the Benaglia cabinet and is currently serving One Flag deputy leader under Yan Despott. One Flag introduced a widely-supported motion to condemn anti-Yeudi violence, which passed in October, but made clear at the time its preference to 'fight anti-Yeudi sentiment with understanding and dialogue' and 'maintain the right to free speech'. One Flag's views on anti-Yeudi sentiment have been criticised on both the left and the right, with the OtSB saying that One Flag stands for special preference for Yeudis and the Yeudi community itself being wary of a party previously led by Denzilee Depares - who had a reputation for controversial views on Yeudis.
_________________________________________________________________________________
Il Bandiera Indipendenti is a political and current affairs newspaper aligned with the One Flag movement in Cildania. It has a religious, conservative and pro-Hebilean editorial stance.

[Pragma]

5 August 5329
Despott lambasts Guiliano Alagona, calls for resignation
Yan Despott and the One Flag movement have put forward a motion of no confidence in the Prime Minister
_________________________________________________________________________________

One Flag movement leader Yan Despott has made his most scathing critique yet of the government as he introduced a motion of no confidence in Prime Minister Guiliano Alagona. Deriding Alagona as 'corrupt' and an 'agent' of Beiteynu, Despott made clear his contempt for a PM he accuses of overseeing 'a reign of chaos, division, economic stagnation and police brutality'. In particular the government's controversial approach to anti-Yeudism was brought up repeatedly in his speech to the Council chamber, causing irritation on the government benches and delight among opposition deputies.

The Prime Minister has overseen a government marked by division. The Radical Labour Party has been discouraged by the economic and social conservatism of some of their coalition partners, particularly on women's issues. There has been a persistent rise in anti-Yeudi hatred and the government's efforts to fight it have been ineffective and criticised as 'heavy-handed' and 'counterproductive' by the opposition. There have also been persistent concerns about organised crime and its relationship to power, as well as the influence of foreign governments - particularly Beiteynu - on the internal affairs of the Cildanian state.

The opposition parties - the Order of Saint Sebastian and the One Flag movement - are almost certain to vote against Alagona. What remains to be seen, however, is if any members of the governing coalition will be willing to depart to risk the judgement of the electorate. With such rife political division, it is difficult to see what alternative coalitions could be reached even if the government fell and new elections were held. Both the current right-wing opposition parties are considered toxic to the centre and left, so they would need a majority between them to be assured of a position in government. That itself would also be difficult given the strained relations between the parties, who have taken different approaches to opposition. There is also the toxic figure of Denzilee Depares, who defected from One Flag to the OtSB. All of this makes Cildania's political future uncertain.
_________________________________________________________________________________
Il Bandiera Indipendenti is a political and current affairs newspaper aligned with the One Flag movement in Cildania. It has a religious, conservative and pro-Hebilean editorial stance.

[Zanz]

13 August 5329
Significant portions of Cildanian Yeudi population will boycott any
early elections
Rav Pisani cries foul on Għażla tal-Poplu as government collapses; no parties represent a safe haven
for Cildanian Yeudis

Qart Qildar: As the Prime Minister assesses damage in the wake of
the resignation of the ministers of Defence and Science and Technology, Cildania's most outspoken
Yeudi leaders have urged their congregations to boycott any early elections should they come to pass.

Nunzio Piscopo and Sebastjan Pellicano of the Għażla tal-Poplu resigned from government, leaving Mr.
Guiliano Alagona to pick up the pieces of a shattered coalition and making the likelihood of a vote of
no confidence in the remainder of the government almost a surety.

Rabbi Danjel Pisani of Torah V’Avodah in Qart Qildar told Il-Ġurnal that he had urged his congregation
to boycott any early election, and to urge other Cildanian Yeudis to do the same.

"It is clearer and clearer," he told us, "that no matter the outcome of an early election, Cildanian Yeudis
will be punished for the failings of Cildanian society as a whole. We cannot participate in such a farce.
Indeed, Bandiera Waħda has thrown fuel on the flames of a fire which already consumes Yeudis across
the nation, and even Għażla tal-Poplu, which we had erstwhile considered no threat to our existence,
now speaks of Cildanian Yeudis in antiyeudish terms - calling us 'sneaky', 'stealthy', and accusing us of
involvement in some Beiteynese plot to exploit Cildania. Any election will lead to bloodshed - we
cannot safely take part."

Rabbi Ġakobb Hosegħa of Shaarei Shomayim, for his part, called upon the international community to
dispatch election observers "with great haste" and to do what they are able to help ensure Cildanian
Yeudi security, but stopped shy of calling for outright boycott.


Il-Ġurnal is a broadsheet daily newspaper in Cildania, owned by the Magro Family. The newspaper has a 'moderate' editorial bent.

[jamescfm]

⬆ Image source

Cildanian Prime Minister Guiliano Alagona prepares to visit Beiteynu
6 December 5329


Prime Minister of Cildania Guiliano Alagona will fly to Yishelem this week for a series of meetings with the Beiteynuese head of government Meaholit Shteman. The pair are expected to hold a series of meetings over the course of several days. The agenda will include dealing with anti-Yeudi violence and military cooperation. The visit is the first official foreign trip by the Prime Minister since taking office in 5326.

Alagona’s departure for Beiteynu was originally scheduled for the end of last month. The visit was delayed when two government ministers resigned. Nunzio Piscopo and Sebastjan Pellicano of the populist party People’s Choice were aiming to bring down the government. Alagona postponed the visit to deal with the fallout. At present, it appears that the attempt has failed. The Prime Minister now leads a minority government though. Whether or not it reaches the end of the legislative term remains to be seen.

Ahead of the visit, the Prime Minister has emphasised the wide-ranging nature of the planned talks. Beiteynu and Cildania have maintained a relationship since before the latter’s transition to democracy. Both sides are hoping to deepen ties. In recent months, Beiteynu has placed pressure on Cildania to deal with the ongoing issue of anti-Yeudi violence in the country.

As though to highlight the problem, the political crisis that delayed Alagona’s arrival began with the leader of People’s Choice openly employing anti-Yeudi tropes in the Council of Deputies to attack the Prime Minister. Redentur Piscopo decried “sneaky and stealthy” Beiteynuese influence in domestic politics. Alagona condemned his employment of a common anti-Yeudi stereotype.

Prime Minister Alagona and Ramatkal Shteman will discuss military cooperation too. Cildania is strategically positioned as an island in the northern Majatran Sea. Despite some progress towards the end of the previous century, the Cildanian armed forces remain outdated and ill-equipped compared to other countries in the continent. In contrast, Beiteynu has one of the most capable naval forces in the region.

Majatran cooperation is likely to be a subject of discussion too. Both countries have been publicly supportive of attempts to strengthen regional institutions, such as the Majatran Security Cooperation Organization. Alagona told journalists ahead of the visit that Cildania and Beiteynu would stand “shoulder to shoulder” in facing the challenges ahead.


     Majatran Eye is a broadsheet newspaper available throughout Majatra focusing on international economic and political affairs

[Wu Han]

7 December 5329
Deputy Denzilee Depares killed in car bombing
The controversial former-leader of One Flag has met an explosive end


➥ Mr. Depares (foreground); Mr. Depares' car after the blast (background)

Santa Aleksandra, Aheblun Principality: Mr. Denzilee Depares, the controversial right-wing Deputy rarely seen without a glass of pinot grigio in-hand, has been killed by a car bomb a few hundred metres from his home in Santa Aleksandra, Aheblun Principality. According to local police, the bomb was placed under the rear passenger seat directly under Mr. Depares, and was detonated by remote-control. Mr. Depares’ bodyguard and driver, Ġakbu Creminale, has been hospitalized and remains in “serious but stable” condition, while Mr. Depares was declared dead at the scene of the incident.

“This has the markings of a premeditated, targeted assassination,” said local police chief Indri Micallef. “Clearly, whoever did this wanted to see Depares dead—that’s the only explanation for how the bomb ended up under his seat!”

An investigation is now underway integrating the expertise of local police and their national-level affiliates to determine who may be responsible for the bomb attack. Meanwhile, politicians from across the party spectrum have offered messages of condolence while denouncing violence in Cildanian politics.

Mr. Depares was a founding member of the One Flag political party, serving as its first leader until he was ousted by the party in August 5324. The removal of Mr. Depares came shortly after his censure by the Council of Deputies for threatening to kill another lawmaker, Ms. Cabiria Ahummid of the Constitutionalist Party, in concert with his escalating public antics and alcoholism. After he was fully exiled from One Flag in October 5324, and shortly after converting from Ahmadism to Hosianism, Mr. Depares joined the far-right Order of Saint Sebastian where he reportedly played a major role in the party’s electoral campaigning. At the time of his death, Mr. Depares remained under criminal investigation for his comments and threats directed toward his political adversaries.


Il-Ġurnal is a broadsheet daily newspaper in Cildania, owned by the Magro Family. The newspaper has a 'moderate' editorial bent.

[Kubrick]

Il-Veritá Iebsa (The Hard Truth) is a far-right online news site known for pushing conspiracy theories. It has close ties to Ilarju Rizzo, the prominent neo-fascist leader of the Order.

MARTYR DENZILEE: DEPUTY DEPARES MURDERED BY YEUDI TERRORIST FACTION!
Order of Saint Sebastian will not rest until "all Yeudi terrorists are held accountable, either by trial or force."


Party leader Ilarju Rizzo pictured at the memorial service where he has condemned the Yeudi community for the death of deputy and running mate Denzilee Depares.

13 December, 5329 - The right-wing Order of Saint Sebastian has suffered a great loss with the murder of its deputy leader Denzilee Depares. The former Minister of Education became most famous as the running mate to Ilarju Rizzo and by becoming one of its most prominent parliamentarians. Deputy Depares served the nation and tried to fight the foreign elements that attempted to destroy Cildania. During this noble fight he was killed, being murdered while he was almost home. The terrorist attack claimed two lives, as sources claim chauffeur Ġakbu Creminale passed away yesterday during surgery. No group has come forward to claim the attack, but according to the Leader of the Order the perpetrators are known. Over two-thousand people gathered for the memorial service, with all Deputies of the Order present as well as a large bulk of its members.

At the memorial service Rizzo, who is on a one week break from campaigning to mourn the loss of his close friend, took centre stage in addressing the crowd. He requested the media to leave Depares' family alone and in a rare moment thanked the press for not intruding on yesterdays funeral. But after that Leader Rizzo gave a passionate speech fuelled by the loss of his friend, revealing who are behind all this. "This is not a random attack, nor an unrelated act of violence, no, this was premeditated murder and terrorism in its purest form. While prime minister Guiliano Alagona's corrupt policemen sit idly by the greater forces are at work investigating this heinous attack and we know who did it. A group of radical Yeudi terrorists has taken great offense to our campaigns against the corruption of the super rich, their financial benefactors. To try and stop us they have murdered one of us. But, brothers and sisters, this will not stop us, this will only strengthen us! Martyr Denzilee will inspire us to keep fighting forever. God bless Depares and his sacrifice, long live the Order."

The police has not responded to the allegations of Leader Rizzo, instead they do nothing as the country falls to chaos and terrorism. After the memorial service Rizzo returned to the campaign trail, stating that his fallen friend would not want them to wait while the other parties gained on them. Recent polls have shown that the Order, which initially was in a slump, is now polling as the largest or second largest party. Many voters sympathize with the movement now that their 'second in command' has been killed while others see it as a vote of protest against the inaction and incompetence of the current Alagona cabinet. Furthermore there has been a rise in political violence against Yeudi's, with masked men in red and black now also attacking Yeudi stores and synagogues. While red and black are the colours of the Order the party leadership denies all involvement.