What is crime inside Imperial territory is decided by the Imperial authorities, not outsiders.
I have to admit though,I thought Republic was a bit… older, but anyway, please forgive me, we don’t study foreign history a lot, only history and culture we’re usually interested in is our own.
I do understand though the concern of being called ‘Rebel Provinces’, and because I’d consider a gallentean who’d call our State as a ‘rebel province of Federation’ to be overly agressive and those who could claim that Caldari are those who live in the Federation - to be straightforward mentally unwell… YET, to my knowledge, the Empire took this politics only after Minmatar invasion into core Imperial worlds in YC110, before that they were seeking peace and coexistence according to their doctrine of Pax Amarria.
And that they called you ‘rebel provinces’ just means that the days of the Republic might end quite soon…
Well, we aren’t minmatars to become slaves to the Federation, Honorable death in combat is preferrable.
Yet, you see where the difference is:
In the conflict that started YC110 we are protecting ourselves against the Federal aggression and we’re fighting to get our Home back (Caldari Prime), which now is still partially occupied by gallentean invaders.
In the same conflict that started YC110 between Empire and Republic it were actually Empire who are protecting themselves against the Minmatar aggression.
Yes, I know, the Empire invaded the Republic thousan years ago - but that was thousand years ago.
And even the rebellion happened 143 years ago - you won it, you shall cherish your land, not seek new conflicts with neighbors. Just like we won our Independence from gallenteans 200 years ago - we weren’t touching them until they began ramming their nyxes into our peaceful stations, even while they were holding our Homeworld a hostage. We were trying to trade for it in a peaceful way.