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Members of The Brigade
Armed brigade member
The Brigade is a Lovian private militia, created by and for service to Prime Minister Ygo August Donia, leader of the Donia Clan. The brigade, called "the private army of the Donia Clan", protects Ygo Donia and his relatives and allies on their premises. The Brigade is known to patrol the surrounding natural areas as well. They claim responsibility for catching poachers. Very controversial, the Brigade is likely to be either forbidden or re-worked, due to the Firearms Act pending in Congress. The Brigade currently has around fifty members and may still be expanding in the near future.
Its future is rather unsure. According to the sentence of Judge Arthur Jefferson, in a trial, The Brigade must disband immediately, being a private militia. Nevertheless its members are still loyal to Ygo and claim the decision to be unfair. Awaiting any further verdicts, many have chosen for a job at the Federal Police under The Brigade-second-in-command and FP Commissioner Cristian Latin. Ygo, himself Assistant Commissioner, declared that the Federal Police may use The Brigade's weaponry if necessary.
In October 2011 the members of the Brigade and their leader Ygo Donia where freed from jail by I. G. La Blaca's UNS loyalists. The Brigade participated in the Lovian Civil War and strenghtened the rebel forces. They played a major role in the war.
During 2012 the Brigade kept a low profile, recruiting new members, recovering from the losses of the war and expanding their ranks. In April 2013 Donia announced his plans to crown himself the next King of Lovia, deposing Dimitri I. The Brigade, as always, stands by him in his decision.
Purpose and organization[]
The Brigade initially had twenty members, all of which claim to be "licensed gun-owners who are trained to use them". They are said to walk around with what Ygo describes as a "Dirty Harry"-mentality and they usually guard either Ygo or other high-profile members of the Clan. They patrol the area daily and also patrol trough the Emeralds, defending it from illegal hunters and poachers. Most of the members of the Brigade are licensed hunters, as is Y.M. Donia.
As of April 2013, the Brigade has strengthened it's ranks, re-armed, and re-trained. New recruits have joined forces, having received vigorous military training during most of 2012, and the first months of 2013. They stand by the one true King of lovia, Ygo August Donia.
Members[]
Second-in-command Cristian Latin
The members range in age from twenty-two to fifty-four. They are all licensed hunters. Members of the Brigade are of both sexes, and various religious beliefs and nationalities, but they all consider themselves to be Lovian patriots. Ygo affectively calls them: "his little Foreign Legion." Among the high-profile members are Friedrich Steiner, Ygo's younger brother and a nephew.
Expansion[]
On the 10th of January, 2011, ten new members joined the Brigade. All new members were Oceana nationalists and licensed hunters. Six of them were of Romanian background and one of them was a DJ of dance music. Currently (anno now) the army has thirty members. According to Lovian businessman Nathaniel Scribner the army may be small, however it could also be regarded as one of the best armies world-wide[1]. Christian Latin is another high-profile member. He is second-in-command after Donia and third-in-command is Mr. Steiner, another excellent officer with plenty of expierence in the field. Latin, Donia and Steiner are prepared to pick up their arms against any intruder and, if, necessary drive them out by force.[2]
In April 2013 it was revealed the Brigade, fully mobilized and deployed near Donia Castle, had not been sitting still for the previous years. New members having joined it's ranks, the army now made up of some fifty brave men and women.
Weaponry[]
Third-in-command Friedrich Steiner
The members of the Brigade are heavily armed. Anyone who grants himself unauthorized entry to property belonging to the Donia Clan will be shot on sight. Two members of whom Ygo is particularly fond serve as his personal bodyguard. Donia himself often carries a .44 Magnum in the style of Dirty Harry, whom he regards as his biggest idol. Members of the Brigade wear uniforms designed by Y.A. himself.
Based on controversial rumours, the weapon arsenal would consist of assault rifles, submachine guns, heavy machine guns, snipers, destructive explosives, modern knives, handy gadgets, etcetera. Cristian Latin the second-in-command who would have bought the weapons in California denied though. However, some certain visitors would have noticed the existence of several M16s, M4s, MP5s, UMP45s, silenced M40A3s, RPGs, China lakes, claymores, C4s, napalm, but also ballistic knives, throwing stars and iron tomahawks. According to specialists this arsenal would be sufficient to overthrow any Lovian regime.
Wildlife[]
The Brigade is known to protect wildlife. It has been responsible for catching many illegal poachers in the act, and forcefully apprehending them to the local authorities. Though controversial, these actions have made “the Brigade” and it’s members popular with the general public, especially in rural areas outside of the big cities. They wish to be regarded, too, as some sort of unofficial park rangers and protectors of the natural environment.
Criticism[]
The Brigade was criticized by LAP politician and MOTC Percival E. Galahad immediately. Since the Brigade claimed to "shoot on sight" anyone "who grants himself unauthorized entry to property belonging to the Donia Clan", Galahad wrote and proposed the Firearms Act, which aims to illegalize possession and use of firearms, as well as the presence of private militias on the archipelago.[3] The bill is currently pending in the Second Chamber. The bill was met with widespread support in Congress.
Edward Hannis spoke out against a militia prohibition. Marcus Villanova, a Waldener MOTC and one of Donia's lawyers, looked into the constitutionality of the bill, but found nothing that could declare the bill unconstitutional.[4]
The widespread criticism eventually lead to the Galahad v. The Brigade Trial. Steiner fled to Brunant in order to prevent getting evicted and Latin never appeared in Trial. Despite Donia and his lawyers best effords, the trial was lost and lead to the downfall of both the Brigade aswell as it's unfortunate leaders. They were incarcerated for the duration of six months.