Golden Ribbon Movement

The Golden Ribbon Movement (Ranentisan: Движение Златна Лента, Dvizhenie Zlatna Lenta) is a student-led nationalist political movement that emerged in the Ranentsi Autonomous Region in the early-1750s AN. It was first created by students at the University of Kyustendil who were dissatisfied with the Ranentsian Independence Party, whom they viewed as ineffectual bureaucrats who used the Independence Movement as an excuse to monopolize power while only taking symbolic measures to advocate for Ranentsian statehood.

The movement seeks complete and total independence for Ranentsi from Aerla.

Founding

The movement was founded by a collective of students at the University of Kyustendil led by Zlatko Gavrilov. Gavrilov, in interviews with Aerlan media, stated he and his friends began the movement due to the “lack of initiative” taken by the Ranentsian Independence Party, the ruling party in the Autonomous Region and who constituted the region’s delegation to the National Assembly. They believed that the Parane had become complicit with the current political arrangement and weren’t doing enough to restore independence to the Ranentsian people.

The movement quickly spread across and beyond the campus of the University, attracting everyone; from those who opposed the Parane’s monopoly on power to ethno-nationalists who sought the removal of the so-called “Noursalan Yoke” over Ranentsi. Students at St. Kiril’s University in Garlyano began printing their own newspaper, Нашето Време (Our Time), which became the official mouthpiece for the movement.

Organization

The Gold Ribbon Movement operates in the form of Kloni (Клони), or chapters, which meet to coordinate protests, debates, and/or other events. The largest chapter is the Kyustendil Chapter (Клон Кюстендил, Klon Kyustendil) which hosts several hundred members. Each Klon is headed by a Chief, or Nachalnik (Началник).