Caldari Prime unrest escalates further, Provist response called into question

LUMINAIRE – The actions of the Provist occupation force have been widely called into question this afternoon, after unrest began to spiral out of control on Caldari Prime late last night.

A number of Gallente protesters were reportedly killed after Provist forces fired riot control gas canisters directly at crowds in downtown Arcurio at approximately 02:00 EST this morning. Reports have also surfaced that a convoy of roughly 200 Gallente citizens fleeing the city of Pakuri were strafed by Sparrow-class dropships belonging to the Provist occupation force after failing to stop on order of the pilots.

As news of the attack on the convoy reached the city, several Provist security checkpoints and patrols were overrun in response, and a number of Caldari Providence Directorate personnel were killed by unarmed crowds of rioters after being overwhelmed.

Today’s recent spate of unrest follows two previous flare-ups of hostility between the Provist occupation force and Gallente citizens in as many days. It is rumored that today’s rioting was brought to a halt when word began to spread that the Leviathan-class titan Shiigeru, which resides in orbit of Caldari Prime, was placed on weapons ready alert and fully prepared to enter low orbit in order to strike at a number of undisclosed locations should the situation escalate further.

Both the Caldari Navy and Caldari Providence Directorate have refused to comment on rumors regarding the Shiigeru, although a number of Gallente Senators have once again publicly expressed their disgust and disdain over the treatment of Gallente citizens by Provist forces in several press releases. In one particular release the Provist occupation force were branded as “a band of racist thugs, with no regard for the safety and wellbeing of Gallente citizens on Caldari Prime.”