Westhills massacre In 6 BBY , Imperial forces on Lothal under the command of Lieutenant Piers Roddance massacred a gathering of peaceful demonstrators in the Westhills near Capital City . These demonstrators were displaced farm workers whose land and crops had been polluted by a chemical used for breaking up rock . The Empire had condemned their farm a week before and ordered the workers to move . However , the workers had refused to move and lodged a complaint with Governor Arihnda Pryce but had received no response . These workers also had other grievances including the extensive dust and water pollution that was destroying their livelihoods . Several farmers and workers illegally occupied an abandoned field and awaited for the arrival of an Imperial representative to hear their petition . These protesters were led by a bearded farmer , who insisted on non - violence but wanted the Empire to hear their grievances . The protesters were visited by an armed Imperial Military contingent led by Lieutenant Roddance who demanded that they disperse . When the protesters staged a sit - in , Roddance ordered his troops to open fire and forcibly disperse the protesters . As a result , several of them were killed . That evening , the Imperial broadcaster Alton Kastle falsely reported that the protesters were " insurgents " who had destroyed Imperial mining equipment and surveyors ; provoking a harsh response by the authorities . While several Imperial citizens like Leo and his wife Tepha Leonis believed the official Imperial account , others like Zare Leonis and his friend Beck Ollet , who had witnessed the incident , knew the truth . The Westhills massacre had the effect of turning Zare and Beck against the Empire . Later that year , Beck joined a three - member rebel cell while Zare decided to infiltrate the Academy for Young Imperials in order to find his missing sister Dhara Leonis and to work against the Empire from within . Background . Following the end of the Clone Wars , the Galactic Empire occupied the Outer Rim world of Lothal . They wanted to exploit the planet ' s rich mineral wealth and to establish a new hyperspace route . While agriculture had been the main industry on Lothal prior to the Imperial occupation , the expansion of Imperial mining operations had caused extensive pollution and many families to lose their lands and livelihoods . Dust and water pollution on Lothal had deteriorated to the extent that farmers were unable to work their fields . Unable to pay their rent , many farmers saw their farms being seized and sold to the Empire . Due to the loss of their land and livelihood , many people had been forced to seek shelter in displaced camps . Some even lodged a complaint with Governor Arihnda Pryce but received no response . In the Westhills , a group of farmers and workers were ordered to evacuate their farm after their jogan fruit orchards was contaminated by a chemical that had been used by the Empire to break up rocks . As a result , the Imperial authorities had condemned the farm the previous week and ordered the workers to move . However , the farm workers refused to move and occupied an empty field nearby for a week ; establishing tents , modular housing , and makeshift shacks . They were led by a bearded farmer who wanted to submit a list of grievances to an Imperial representative , who had been sent by Governor Pryce to hear their grievances . The bearded farmer instructed his followers to treat the representative with respect and not to use violence , stressing that they were Imperial citizens and not rabble . The massacre . While visiting the Westhills one evening , Beck Ollet and his friend Zare Leonis , a recent migrant , stumbled on the gathering . Beck was taking Zare on a tour of Lothal ' s Westhills in order to show him what the Empire was actually doing to the planet . While the bearded farmer was addressing the farmers , several Imperial transports , AT - DP walkers , and stormtrooper s arrived at the encampment . They were led by Lieutenant Piers Roddance , an Imperial Military officer whom Leonis was acquainted with . Leonis wanted to show the farmers some support but Beck held him back . The bearded farmer then approached Roddance with a loudhailer in an attempt to deliver his petition , recognizing him as the Imperial representative . However , Roddance raise his hand to stop it and then raised a comlink to his lips . The comlink was linked to a set of speakers on an Imperial Troop Transport . On behalf of Governor Pryce , Roddance denounced the rally as an illegal assembly and ordered the farmers to disperse . The bearded farmer stood his ground and asserted that the gathering was not a threat to anyone . He reiterated that Imperial law allowed the farmers to petition the governor and warned Roddance that they would bring the complaint before her if he refused to address their grievances . Roddance brushed aside the bearded farmer ' s demands and reiterated his command that the farmers disperse . Unable to reason with Lieutenant Roddance , the farmers and workers staged a sit - in protest . In response , Roddance signaled for the stormtroopers to wade into the crow and drag the protesters by their arms . Three stormtroopers also pushed the farmers ' leader to the ground . Before Zare could protest the excessive use of Force , the stormtroopers began firing stun bolts into the crowd . Sensing trouble , Beck and Zare quickly left but not before hearing the stormtroopers unleash live ammunition on the protesters . The two youths then returned to Capital City on Beck ' s unlicensed jumpspeeders . Aftermath . The Imperial authorities covered up the massacre in the Westhills by claiming that the protesting farmers were insurgents who have provoked trouble by destroying mining equipment and attacked Imperial surveyors , justifying the tough law - enforcement action by Lieutenant Roddance . Governor Pryce ' s spokesman also emphasized that the Westhills incident was an isolated disturbance that had been contained . This falsified report was delivered by Alton Kastle , a holocaster who worked for the Imperial channel HoloNet News . While most Imperial citizens including Zare ' s parents Leo and Tepha Leonis accepted the official Imperial account , Zare and Beck knew that the truth was different : the Empire had massacred Imperial citizens who had been protesting peacefully . The Westhills massacre hardened Beck and Zare ' s feelings against the Empire . Beck needed little encouragement since he had always resented his family ' s decision to sell their farm in the Westhills to the Empire . While Zare had been nominally loyal to the Empire , the Imperial handling of the Westhills incident made him question the " benevolence " of the Empire . He also developed a deep dislike of Lieutenant Roddance , who had instigated the massacre . During the summer season , Beck joined a three - member insurgent cell that sabotaged Imperial mining operations in the Westhills . Following a skirmish , Beck and his comrades were captured by the Imperial authorities who had been able to track down his landspeeder . Following his capture , Beck was subsequently enrolled in Project Unity , an experimental re - education program which involved extensive drugging and brainwashing . Due to his brainwashing , Beck rationalized the massacre at the Westhills by claiming that the farmers had been manipulated into staging the protest by the Empire ' s enemies , which he described as " greedy , secretive organizations " who wanted to return the galaxy to corruption and disorder . In Beck ' s view , the Empire had to kill the farmers in order to deny those enemies the use of " these tools " by any means necessary . Following the Westhills massacre , Zare ' s girlfriend Merei Spanjaf managed to hack into the Imperial data network on Lothal and discovered several classified files relating to the massacre in the Westhills . These documents included bland accounts of the " pacification " , requests that fake departure orders be created to cover up the deaths of protesters , and orders to monitor the spouses and children of protesters . These harsh security measures were authorized by Governor Pryce . This revelation reinforced Merei ' s suspicions of the Empire and played a role in influencing her decision to go into hiding .