Matt Myers stood before a crowd of reporters, even bigger than the last press conference. This was attributed to the fact that Admiral David Hale stood not a meter behind him. He spoke loud and clear into the microphone.
"Recently, I retracted the warrant that was placed by Deputy Chief Karl Agathon. The only reason I did this was that we weren't prepared legally to tackle him. Now, we are." He pulled out a sheet of paper and read from it.
"'The governor shall be at least thirty years old and shall have been a citizen of the Republic of Liberty for at least fifteen years and a resident of this state at least ten years next before election.' That is Section 4, Article 3 of the Constitution of Ontario. Mr. Katz is not a citizen of Liberty, nor has he been a resident of Ontario for ten years. Thus, he is withdrawn from the election."
The reporters gasped, then threw questions at Myers. He held up his hands, and silence reigned.
"Furthermore, as the instigator of all the unpleasantness on Toronto Station -- and the Ontario system in general -- I am issuing a real warrant for his arrest, effective immediately." He glared at the screen, as if he could feel his eyes piercing Katz's soul. "Don't bother coming to us, Mr. Katz, we'll be visiting you in due time. The charges include treason, affiliation with a group that is a stated enemy of this Republic, abusing freedom of speech and assembly to foment civil unrest, and all-together," he paused, smiling to show that the upcoming one was a joke, "being a pain in my ass. I'm open for two questions."
The reporters all but jumped at him, and he pointed at one at random.
"Mr. Myers, what actions do you plan on taking in regards to Toronto station?"
"The same any self-respecting Chief of Police would do when an entire station is consumed by anarchy. Next?" He pointed at another clamoring reporter.
"How do you respond to charges that the LPI has acted not only heavy-handedly, but in ways that breach the laws of Liberty?"
"We do what we must to maintain law and order such as they are, and those that wish to overthrow the government as-is or otherwise act in an illegal manner will seek to tear us down for that. As for being in breach of the laws of Liberty, we follow them to the T. You'll find that Katz is the one outside of the law at the moment."
He handed the podium over to Admiral Hale...
"Ladies and gentlemen, there are a few things of which I wish to remind you. We in Liberty are a moderate society. We hold free and fair elections, in a democratic fashion. My job is that of protecting those ideals and the people who live within this republic.
The SCRA, of which Mr Katz openly admits to being a member, is a terrorist organization. They have launched strikes against Liberty in the past, disregarding the lives of our citizens and and well-being of our economy, threatening to destroy everything which makes us Libertonian. They have no interest in democracy or freedom.
Mr Katz's rhetoric is convincing. His speeches are well prepared and his delivery is polished. However, what root in truth can that have when it's backed by a group such as the SCRA? They hold up the Coalition of Old Earth as role-models. The people who brought all the people of the four colonies to near destruction. This is the ideology we came to Sirius to escape. The SCRA's well documented violence against all the houses is surely more than enough to show to any thinking Libertonian man or woman that any power these people gain will be used for evil. Support for the SCRA is un-Libertonian.
The people they have brought with them to Ontario to support their attempt at violent revolution are criminals. The LRF have attacked trade convoys, made widows of wives and orphans of children. They are murderers in the name of the same ideological standpoint as the SCRA. The Unioners are far from ideological. They are pirates, thieves, petty criminals. They have been hired as muscle by the SCRA in order to further stir the pot.
I have already sent extra patrols to Ontario. These men and women, servants of this Republic will be targeting the LRF, SCRA and any Unioners still remaining in Ontario. They are authorized to use lethal force if necessary.
Liberty law states that members of outlawed groups cannot run for office. Ontario law states that a governor has to have been a resident of the system for ten years, and that governor has to be a Liberty citizen. Mr Katz is unable to run on any of these accounts. But that never was the point. The SCRA only want to incite violence and hate in the Ontario system. Nothing more.
People of Ontario, I ask you now to not give in to the terrorists. Don't give them what they want."
![[Image: u8rHEaq.png]](http://i.imgur.com/u8rHEaq.png)