Down with Mezzileen! Down with the Jedi! Down with the Republic!
—Rioters chant
The Coruscant Uprising was a skirmish between Coruscant Police and rioters on the planet Coruscant in 102 BBY that sparked the Mezzilenic War.
Prelude[]
Mezzileen has seized absolute power. He will destroy us all unless we act now.
—Democratic Republican leader Arf Fey'lya
Supreme Chancellor Signet Mezzileen had held the Republic in his grip for seventy long years and his rule was steadily becoming more and more tyrannical. With the force witch Ugra extending his life and his power, nothing could stand against him. The Jedi Order had allied with Mezzileen in an effort to curb his power, to no avail, so others decided to stand against the Republic. In 105 BBY, Arf Fey'lya formed the Democratic Republican Party, an alliance of species determined to end Mezzileen's rule at any cost. They orchestrated riot after riot across the galaxy, each of which was ended by Jedi intervention so Fey'lya decided to disrupt the Republic at its heart, Coruscant.
Riot[]
I promise you Chancellor, the rioters will not reach the upper levels. I swear it.
—Chief of Police Hannock
With Party agents stirring up trouble in bars and clubs across Coruscant's Undercity, soon hundreds of rioters were spilling out into the streets, with dozens of hot spots springing up across the planet. These started fairly peacefully, but these riots began to join together into one huge mass of thousands of individuals that progressed into the Upper City, heading for the center of the Republic's government. With his police scattered across the planet, Chief of Police Hannock gathered his forces in preparation to stop the riot.
Concerned by how the police would act, Jedi Master Nin heads to the scene of the riot eith his apprentice Thame Cerulian in an effort to end it peacefully. By the time they arrive, Hannock's men had blocked the street and the riot had been halted. Nin spoke with Hannock and they agreed for Nin to speak with the rioters and he went over to do so. However, members of the Democratic Republican Party were unwilling to let the riot disband and they opened fire on the Jedi and this turned the protest into an angry mob and the Jedi barely escaped.
Seeing the Jedi under attack, Hannock ordered his men to open fire and many rioters were killed as the police moved in. However, the mob had been enraged and they surged forward, surrounding many of the police and beating several to death. Throughout this, Nin and Cerulian tried to stop the bloodshed but Nin eventually decided to withdraw to the Temple and report to the Jedi Council. Many more rioters were killed as more and more police moved into the area.
Aftermathe[]
A black day this is, for the Republic, for the Jedi and for the galaxy.
—Jedi Grand Master Yoda
Over the next few days, many more people were killed and hundreds were arrested by the police. This encourages the Jedi to act and Grand Master Yoda led a delegation to meet with Mezzileen but the delegation was rejected and Mezzileen ordered that all Jedi be arrested. The Jedi withdrew to the Temple, which then came under siege by Republic troops.