In 4 BBY, several dissidents on the planet Garel staged an impromptu protest against the local Imperial authorities' destruction of a controversial statue by the artist Janyor of Bith. The Coalition for Progress, a division of the Commission for the Preservation of the New Order, had advocated its destruction on the grounds that it had fallen into a state of disrepair and posed a danger to the public. The dissidents were promptly arrested by the local Imperial authorities. The statue's demolition and the ensuing protest was reported by the Imperial HoloNet News broadcaster Alton Kastle, who reported the official Imperial line unquestioningly.
After the protest, many citizens became sympathetic to rebel causes and many joined rebel efforts. Following a Battle of Garel between the Empire and Phoenix Cell, an Imperial crackdown on suspected resistance activity sparked a formal insurgency on Garel. Members of the Leonis, Spanjaf and Statura families organized and led the Garel City cell to continue rebel efforts. Eventually, Garel was liberated by the rebels.
- Dawn of Rebellion