July 1 incident

The July 1 incident was an incident that took place on the Athens server on July 1, 2022.
== The incident ==
The incident began when player otarlette (Odile) announced the day prior, on June 30, 2022, that the town of Swineton and the unincorporated village of Pigville would be renamed to Port Strauss and Lancaster, respectively, saying it'd be a "fresh look for the region" and would help increase the number of tourists to both areas. He additionally cited that this was a request from local residents since the 1990s, and that this measure was endorsed by Athens President Alexis Zurgenstine (NDM).
The following day, when the measure was publicized by news outlets and local newspapers, backlash was immediate from the Athens People's Congress and Senate, with numerous members calling for the reversion of the decision. Within Dream County (where both Swineton and Pigville were located), reactions were more mixed. Senator Edgar T. Berg, who represented part of both towns, was the only member of Congress from that county to announce he supported the renames. In Swineton, a man by the name of Joe Rebble reportedly voiced his support for renaming his village by standing in the middle of the only paved road in Swineton. Rebble, described as "an old drunkard" by residents, regularly performed dangerous stunts while under the influence of alcohol and other drugs.
That same day, the Athens People's Congress convened in a special session and voted 168-53 (1 member was absent) to overturn the legislation. The Athens Senate followed suit by voting 68 to 22 to overturn the renaming decision.