Akuan Atrocities

Akuan Atrocities
Location	Ymirland, Hvaloaszna, Vakrestrender, various other dependencies and Norgsveldet
Date	1907-1917
Attack type	Mass Murder; Forced Labor; Fabricated Famine; Coerced Suicides
Deaths	Royal University of Osfjord Estimate: 6 to 7 million Association of the Servants of Akua Estimate: 8 to 9 million Nyveldet State University Estimate: 4 to 5 million.
Victims	Akuan Population
Perpetrator	Norgsveltian Armed Forces & Norgsveltian Colonial Office
Motive	Norgsveltian Nationalism; Ulvriktru Surpemecy; Anti-Akuanism
Inquiry	Secretary Office of the Royal Family

The Akuan Atrocities was a series mass murders and forced labor programs which resulted in a large scale famine across the Akuan-majority colonies held by Norgsveldet. Numbers are heavily debated between scholars and historians and if the Akuan Atrocities should be considered to be a genocide. It is estimate that 1 in 4 Akuanists across the Norgsveldet empire either died directly due to the actions by the Norgsveltian Armed Forces or indirectly through the famine, exhaustion in the forced labor camps or the coerced suicides through the isolation punishment policies. The harsh response by the Norgsveltian government was due to the Akuan belief in absolute pacifism and refusal to take part in the Great War or assist by providing resources for the war effort. Akuanists across the Norgsveltian Empire committed to civil resistance due to the entry of Norgsveldet into the Great War, methods such as boycotting Norgsveltian business that supported the war, draft dodging, protest marches, picketing recruitment offices and general strikes among other methods.

The Atrocities was primary driven in the beginning through massacres committed by Norgsveltian Armed Forces to disperse the marches and picketing. Later developing into forced labor camps, coerced suicides via isolation punishments and seizing agricultural produce from Akuan granaries in an effort to force Akuanists to grow the full yield of crops rather than self sufficient yield for the community. Akuanists during the war, tried to grow only enough food for the community, which included the Norgsveltian settlers despite Norgsveltian Colonial Office Propaganda stating otherwise.

The exception being to the Akuan Atrocities being debated as a genocide is in Ymirland. The Atrocities in Ymir, was a direct and coordinated effort by the Norgsveltian Colonial Officer and the Norgsveltian Armed Forces to genocide the Akuan population. Forced labor camps in the colony was ordered to execute any Akuanist unable to fulfill their quota and often in cases the quota was placed impossibly high that made it impossible to meet. The result was Ymirland was the lion-share of the death during the Atrocities.

The reaction from Norgsveltian Colonial Office to the Akuan protests was primary one of surprise of the Akuanists continued civil resistance efforts. Holding to the Anti-Akuanism stereotype of the cowardly Akuanists who would dispersed after handful of harsh measures. The continued resistance led the office and the army to further frustration with dealing with the Akuanists, resulting in harsher and harsher measures on the natives.

Definition and Estimate of Death Toll

The Definition and the estimated death toll of the Akuan Atrocities is debated between scholars and historians.

The Royal University of Osfjord citing the massacres, death in labor camps, coerced suicides and the famine in their count of the death toll with the estimate being 6 to 7 million killed.

Association of the Servants of Akua include a additional deaths including the natural causes, citing that the native Akuan population would have lived to the average age for those times in the colonies if it wasn't for the added pressures and environment caused by the Akuan Atrocities, estimating 8 to 9 million has died during the atrocities. The ASA also holds that the Akuan Atrocities should be considered to be a genocide and renamed to the Akuan Genocide rather than the Akuan Atrocities.

Nyveldet State University more conservative estimates 4 to 5 million and only cites the massacres as part of the atrocities. Stating that labor camps, famine and coerced suicides was standard practice for the Colonial Office and history of the regions. Therefore shouldn't be considered to be exceptional and included into the death total of the Akuan Atrocities.

Origins of Anti-Akuanism

Main Article: Anti-Akuanism

Colonial Stereotypes of Akuanists

During the colonization of various former Akuan nations and deportation operations on Concord, mostly negative stereotypes was either formed within the public Norgsveltian conscious and manufactured by the government through the colonial office. It should be noted, that many of the stereotypes, before the existence of the colonial office and during the Ulvikrik Empire was more generally positive in retrospect. During the Ulvikrik Empire, while Akuanists were considered second class citizens and usually enslaved. Akuanists was considered to be a loyal servant of the empire, honest and hardworking. The other hand, they was also considered to be cowardly, poor and promiscuous by the Ulvikrik Empire. Several of those stereotypes carried over in some elements during the colonial times. Jarldom of Eyjaria notably having Akuan scribes within it's royal courts.

However during the First Norgsveltian Empire the attitude and stereotypes towards Akuanists shifted to primary negative outlooked supported by the government. Deportations to colonies was extremely common, primary due to repeated difficulties with converting Akuanists leading to frustration within the government. The stereotypes evolved again, driven by the Colonial Office to picture the Akuanists as a "naive, genial and soft spirited" in need of the Norgsveltian "warrior spirit, strength and stoicism." More-so many of the traditional Akuan customs was seen as weakness or lack strength, such as cleanliness, irrelevance to personal wealth or reputation, non-violence and complete disregard for traditional Norgsveltian gender roles and heterosexuality normatively. The collective nature of the Akuanists led to increasing strife, with Norgsveltian propaganda referred Akuanists as worker bees and Norgsveltians as bears, that will destroy their hives.

Settlers Attitude towards Akuan Community

Norgsveltian settlers in former Akuan lands, tend to be far more hostile and negative compared to the colonial office. Rather than the forced assimilation or segregation, pushed forward by the colonial office. Majority of settlers strived more for extermination outright of Akuanist peoples. The exception being Vakrestrender being founded by Akuanists and other religious deportees. Ymirland and Hvaloaszna being the prime examples of settler attitude towards the community of Akuanists, pogroms supported by settler leaders and occasionally ignored by colonial government. Over the decades, the colonial office aligns more towards settler point of view, with the outbreak of the Great War the colonial office while not being as extreme as the settlers. The office became support or became compliant towards the settlers' various initiatives of extermination.

The driving force of the settler mindset, was speciesm towards Kemonomimi and believing Akuanism promoted a miasma of weakness, adultery and inferiority. There was many components of the Anti-Akuanism and conspiracies going along with them. One of the largest conspiracies being Akuanists was promoting diseases as 'revenge' towards Norgsveltians, blaming the various illnesses that affected almost exclusively was in Norgsveltian settlements and parts of town. Later investigations by the Secretary Office of the Royal Family proved the conspiracy false, the Akuan cultural and religious practices such as boiling water, focus on cleaning oneself after work and various other rituals that promoted cleanliness discourage diseases from spreading in their communities. Conspiracies against Akuanists was rampant across all the colonies save Vakrestrender.

Norgsveltian Colonial Office policy towards Akuan Natives and Akuan Deportees

The Norgsveltian Colonial Office had numerous policies towards Akuanists, with the aim of assimilation and conversation towards Akuan natives. When it came to Akuan deportees from the mainland Norgsveldet and Concord at large, the general policy was second class citizenship. It was believed Concordian Akuanists, while still inferior was a stage above Native Akuanists morally and spiritually due to it be closer to Ulvriktru. Additionally believing the creating a strife through the classism would encourage assimilation of the natives, and cause a wedge between the Akuan groups. However instead Akuanists still kept together, deportee Akuanists helped out native Akuanists using their second class citizen status and the two different versions of Akuanism melded together. Much to the frustration of the Colonial Office, which later changed its policy to be more aggressive. Removing and retracting numerous protections, such as property rights Deportees Akuanists previously had, right to be paid, right to see council in legal manners and starting the policy of ignoring violations or criminal activities towards Akuanists.

Background

Militarism, Anti-Akuanism, Ulvriktru Supremacy and Ultra-Nationalism have always been a core part of Pre-Great War Norgsveldet, but another great issue was after the collapse of the personal union between Queendom of Lapérouse and Norgsveldet. The Norgsveltian Imperial Army was for the most part, inactive during the times of Union as Lapérousian Army was the mainstay of the ground forces for the union, while the Norgsveltian side controlled the navy. Which left the Norgsveltian army in a decrepit state, undisciplined and officer core lacking experience in restraining their forces in command. Hirdism believes was ramped in the Norgsveltian army officer core. Meanwhile the Norgsveltian Royal Navy, while not innocent from the atrocities still maintain their traditions and their leadership maintain discipline during the atrocities.

The Norgsveltian Colonial Office throughout the era of the Personal-Union and collapse of it after focused on three aspects. First economic benefits, Akuan nations was considered to be easy and rich targets for colonization. Akuanists generally rarely fought back violently and could be easily managed all factors considered. Second was to expand Norgsveltian holdings, Norgsveldet was limited for space on Concord. The need for space was also driven by the expulsion of Norgsveltian Nobility, mass deportation of Akuan Akuanists and need for land for industrialization. Third was need to gather wealth rapidly by seizing Akuan assets in the newly conquered areas. The need for money was to pay for Norgsveltian industrialization, but also pay for Lapérousian industrialization and repair damages in the country.

Norgsveltian Colonial Office organized settlement of the new countries, but only for Norgsveltian settlers. Lapérousian colonial affairs generally was focused on their own frontier holdings, believing the Lapérouse peninsula was inherently special place in Imperial Ulvriktru. This focused their efforts during the personal union era on the frontier. Norgsveltian Colonial Office as a result was willing to risk using Kemonomimi speciest propaganda during the period. Majority of Norgsveltian settlers, tended to be elves who viewed the short lives of the Kemonomimi as a source of their inferiority which only amplified the existing Anti-Akuanism believes held by them.

Atrocities

Lokesleir

Lokesleir (Pronounce: Lo-kes-leir) or "Loki's Camp" was labor camps established in 1907 and carried out throughout the rest of the Great War 1917. The Norgsveltian Colonial Office and Norgsveltian Armed Forces operated more than six hundred Lokesleir across the colonial holdings held by Norgsveldet. The camps get their name was from Gustaf II’s reign of Norgsveldet during the war of religion, where the non-followers of Gustafistic Branch of Ulvriktru was sent to the labor camp.

Ymirland

The Atrocities in Ymirland was considered to be different compared to the other locations of the Atrocities