Davostag

[Augustus]

 

Proposition to Rename Tårnbæk in Honor of Greta Greger Approved

27 May 5661 | Tårnbæk, Davostag

 

Future Davostager historians might look back to these past decades as the Gregerian period, where the family drama of John, Lena, Erik and Greta Greger would shape the perception of politics and its radicalisation towards several different directions. John and Lena Greger were the opposition leaders who participated in many protests and elections with the purpose to challenge the ruling National Electoral Union (NVU) and the-then rikspresident Gustav Dahler. After John Greger had been arrested, on fabricated charges according to the opposition, his wife took control of the Union for Democratic Reform (UDR) party and orchestrated mass protests against the government; not only in response to John's arrest but also to perceived electoral fraud in the 5633 election. After some health complications, as reported by the police, John died in house arrest. As a consequence, the opposition immediately assumed the worst and escalated their protests into a large-scale insurgency, storming police precincts and arming themselves against police and government troops. In their attempt to overthrow the rikspresident, Lena and the UDR were pushed back and forced to escape Kivonia. She was later found dead in the small town of Tyrhem, the cause reported to have been fatal injuries from the fighting in the capital city.
 
Erik Greger, the oldest child of the Greger family and older brother of Greta, was radicalised by their parents death and went underground building an illegal network of political dissidents, eventually culminating in the establishment of the Centre Radical Democratic Party (CRDP), which was used as the political front of their organization and aligned militias. Instead of turning to dissident action, Greta Greger stayed on track within the system, rising in the Great Davostag Youth Party (the youth wing of the NVU) and eventually enlisting in the Davostager Army, subsequently serving on the frontlines during the Second Kundrati War. After the war she was recruited by the State Security Bureau (SSB) as an agent and eventual intelligence officer. Being inclined towards involvement in politics, due to her family background, she rose through the party ranks under rikspresident Karl Manner's government, forming an organized faction in the NVU promoting her own ideas and takes on nationalism and socialism. She was appointed by Manner as chairwoman of the Committee for Regional Questions, the leading state body investigating the major administrative reforms she eventually implemented in 5653. She was made the first secretary of the NVU in September 5648, the second highest ranking in the party after the secretary-general. Due to her faction's pressure on the party's old guard, she was made the secretary-general in November 5648, a position she held until her death in 5657.
 
In the role as secretary-general of the NVU, she pushed for her faction's leading role within the party and state. In January 5649, one of her loyal followers was made the premier of Davostag, that is the current rikspresident Rikard Verman, who they eventually pushed to have elected as Karl Manner's successor in July 5649. Another of her followers, Götilda Riddercrantz, was appointed Verman's premier. While the faction called for her to assume leadership of either the state or government, she remained content as leader of the party, using that position as the de facto leader of Davostag. Elsa Sterner, who succeeded Greta as secretary-general in 5657, was ranked lower standing than Verman and Riddercrantz in the faction, and thus became subordinated to them, unable to exert as much as influence in the position as Greta had been able to do.
 
And now, four years after Greta's death, the Riksdag has unanimously approved a proposition renaming one of the major cities in Davostag after her. Several suggestions over which city was to be renamed and what the name would be was discussed. Some suggested that while she had been important the recent decade, she was not on par with the larger figures in Davostager history, like for example Julia Neusohn, the founder of the current republic, who herself had not even received this honor; they suggested that a minor city be renamed after Greta instead. While several minor cities were considered, intervention by premier Riddercrantz resulted in the major city of Tårnbæk to be chosen. Tårnbæk is the most northern major city in Gav Långbotten (province of Långbotten), as well as the birthplace of Greta and her entire family. The first name to be suggested was Gregerstad ("Greger City"), which was favored by most of the Riksdag committee responsible for the name change, but was ultimately archived as some pointed out that the name would not sit well with the ethnic Davostani inhabitants, who call 'city' as by instead of stad. Which subsequently turned the committee members to suggest Gregerby, but several from the national conservative old guard found it problematic to include Greger- in the name of the city, stating that it could suggest legitimizing the other three members of the Greger family, who has instead become symbols of opposition to the current regime. It was then some academics on the committee who suggested the name Gretefred, meaning "Peace of Greta", in reference to having met her brother (who led the militant CRDP at the time) in the city for a truce and subsequently uttering her last words demanding peace. The name was approved by the committee and immediately after by the Riksdag, with rikspresident Verman to sign the motion this evening. As it was approved, the government announced that premier Riddercrantz would travel to Tårnbæk, now Gretefred, to hold the renaming ceremony. 
 
However, despite all the public promotion of the renaming, no actual poll was conducted to see what the Tårnbækers actually thought about all of this, especially since the city is still a major stronghold of the opposition. One might have thought that the name Gregerstad could have brought a much needed unity and reconciliation between the government and opposition, but now they have to live as Gretefreders, named after the one member of the Greger family they rather hope to forget about.
 
News report written by Sam Oliversson.