((Joint-ish Post with Knootoss, Caldan Union and Excalbia))
Parliamentary Press Centre
Haag
Free Republic of Knootoss
The Prime Minister of Knootoss, Charlotte van Jonkervelde, stepped forward into the light of the cameras, wearing a pantsuit of dark navy blue and a Knootian flag pin framed in silver.
She was flanked on the right by Admiral J.M.Van Buren, chief of the KNOMA - the Knootian navy - in a dress uniform of biscay blue and gold. Next to Van Buren stood Fleet Admiral Jeter Taliefero, commander of the Excalbian Imperial Navy’s First Expeditionary Fleet, in a gleaming white dress uniform with golden shoulder boards bearing five stars and the crossed swords and anchor symbol of the Excalbian Navy. To his right stood Admiral Lucas Holcomb, commander of the Royal Caldan Navy’s Home Fleet, stood in his own dress whites, a tall, slender man with grey hair and a grandfatherly face wearing a grave expression.
To her left stood Teun Bakker, the conservative minister of Defence, himself a former military officer, and Leonie van Cymrië, the social liberal Minister of Justice, wearing a red skirt and matching jacket. The Prime Minister spoke in her slow, aristocratic manner:
“When the Global Dominion of Dictatorships Against Democracy invaded Knootoss, I was here in Haag. Not far from where we are standing. I was here when a coalition of autocrats invested this city, seeking to make slaves of me, and of all Knootians.
They were defeated by a coalition of our volunteers and of our valliant allies. And from that defeat sprung a reborn Knootian nation. A Republic of free people, dedicated to the defence of its territory and of its values.
I became one of the advocates of expanding our Knootian security, to the point where a successful invasion of our nation, or even our region, by such nations is not just unlikely but unthinkable.
The threat of slavery and tyranny is resurgent today. Not only are millions enslaved, but the ‘sale’ of humans, of people, is being practised openly by provocateurs, hiding behind concepts of sovereignty and the arms of dictators to defend their inhuman practices.
During an earlier uprising of a similar nature, we helped coordinate a Western Atlantic Statement on Slavery. Published on March 5th 2011, it states powerfully that no citizen of a Western Atlantic nation may be rendered into servitude anywhere and by anyone. Even today, the Western Atlantic remains united against all foreign powers who seek to deprive Western Atlantic citizens of their rights, even in the face of war.
That is why today, I will reiterate the principles of the 2011 declaration, and explain the steps my government is undertaking today to further its objectives.
First. As was agreed to by the Free Republic, the nations of the Excalbian Isles, Pantocratoria, Laneria, the Caldan Union and others, those who engage in slavery, exploitation and human trafficking remain under interdict. Use of the waters of the Western Atlantic for transit of enslaved persons, including the high seas, shall not be tolerated. Working with its allies where we can, the Knootian navy shall increase its patrols of the high seas to interdict any traffic.
Our ships will be sailing together with those of the Excalbian Imperial Navy, the Royal Caldan, Ernestine and Ultrasylvan Navies, the Imperial Tehuan Navy, the Ajuban Union Navy, the Upper Virginian Navy, the Cyretopolitanian Royal Navy, the Lanerian Republican Navy, the Finaran and Gantaran Naval Services and the Marlund Defence Force to further this effort.
Second. We will continue to embargo any goods and services produced, in whole or in part, through servitude. To this we will add efforts to seize the assets of any known persons or national entities assisting in the enslavement of people.
Third, we will continue to offer refugee status to all persons fleeing servitude.
Finally, we will move beyond the ‘armed neutrality’ that was observed by the Vologdov administration in 2011. Those nations and entities that pursue armed conflict in defence of our values, in accordance with our principles, deserve our support.
A fund has been established that may spend up to a percentage point of our annual defence budget((*)), as well as additional contributions from Excalbia, Upper Virginia, the Caldan Union, Laneria, Ultrasylva, and the Confederation of Sovereign States. Funding and equipment will be made available to those fighting in liberation wars that accord with Knootian and allied principles.
Where possible, these forces may be provided with existing military equipment that is presently held in storage, so that the combat effectiveness of those fighting enslaving nations and groups may be enhanced immediately. This support will include small arms, armoured vehicles, naval vessels and other necessary supplies to support these.
Those who wish to receive funds or shipments from the fund must in turn undertake to underwrite a declaration of principles, to refrain from war crimes, crimes against humanity or acts of genocide, even in the fight against those who would pursue these crimes themselves.”
She looked around.
“I will now take some of your questions. Yes…” She pointed at the first journalist to raise their hand.
((OOC: *
Along with others in the Western Atlantic, I prefer to RP at webgame population / 100 whilst leaving relative sizes intact.
In that context, the Knootian contribution to the fund would be $38.9 billion NSD. If you insist on full webgame populations, Knootoss’ fund would be $3.8 trillion (3.898.491.834.000) NSD. Simultaneously any aid given with RP populations can if necessary be seen as x 100, reflecting that Knootoss is one of the oldest and largest remaining nations in the game. Even if I’d rather have that population be 400 million rather than 40 billion. Please make sure to communicate if any requests being made of the fund are at webgame or at RP populations.
Some others mentioned IC are also pretty old/big but I’ll leave it to them to specify any contributions made!
Feel free to have journalists ask questions, too!))
