Izarius City
Tens of thousands had gathered for the speech by the leader of the Progressive Party, José López. He challenged the results of the recent trial multiparty elections in West Izarius. "This regime knew that if they failed to gain a majority, their legitimacy throughout all of Izarius would be challenged. For the first time anywhere in Izarius, opposition parties were allowed to run for election. They knew the rest of Izarius would be next. That is why they have rigged the elections. Every opinion poll I've seen shows that our party, along with the Conservative and Libertarian parties, were all running neck and neck with the People's Assembly. And yet they officially received 57% of the vote! We will not rest until we have justice. We will protest in the streets. We will refuse to work. We will stand up for our rights until justice is served!"
He paused and watched as the crowd roared in approval. Their force was unstoppable. They would have democracy, come what may.
As he watched the crowd, he felt a sharp pain in his head all of a sudden. The pain quickly disappeared and he began to feel faint. As the world spun around him, he collapsed to the ground. And then there was only darkness.
Officer Rovic was in charge of the police presence around the crowd. The government was worried this crowd could turn violent, and his policemen were in full riot gear. But he wasn't prepared for José López's assassination. He could barely hear his policeman over the roar of the crowd, but one of them was yelling "he's been shot! he's been shot!". Several police filled the area around López, as others tried to ascertain the direction from which the shot came. It was hopeless. They were in the middle of downtown Izarius City, with plenty of possible sniper positions. And there was no way they could have heard the gunshot over this din.
And then the crowd spontaneously charged the policemen around the victims body. Some of the Progressive Party staff there tried to calm the crowd, while others took out their anger on the policemen. The policemen were forced to retreat, as the crowd surged around the victim.
2 hours later
The People's Assembly had issued a public statement condemning the assassination. Opposition supporters in turn accused them of ordering the assassination. Hundreds of thousands took to the streets. Opposition parties called for peaceful demonstrations, and most protestors heeded these calls, though there were several incidents of looting and rioting.
And then the rumors started spreading. Protestors were being shot at. Private media began airing footage of bodies in pools of blood as other protestors fled. Shots could be heard ringing out in the background.
The government accused criminal elements of shooting at both protestors and policemen to stir up unrest. They called for calm and for people to stay off the streets while the government returned security. Hundreds of policemen were called up. The Army around Izarius City was mobilized. The National People's Assembly convened a meeting to discuss wether to impose martial law on Izarius' largest city.
