Belarus – to Europe!

The European March “For Freedom” was held today in Minsk center. Belarusians came out to the march to support 12 EU proposals and demonstrate their desire to live in Europe. As the organizers rate, from 7.000 to 10.000 people took part in the European March. Although the action was formally permitted, on its eve the arrests of the activist were organized all over the country, people from the regions were put off from the trains, the militia stopped buses and cars with people going to Minsk. But in spite of constant intimidation and repressions, Belarusians have taken to streets and declared loudly: Belarus to Europe!

At 2 p.m. Belarusians began to gather on Kastrychnitskaya (Oktiabrskaya) Square in Minsk. Several thousands of people came to the square which to their surprise wasn’t blocked by OMON (riot police) staff. Every presented found it necessary to fillet the blue ribbon on the clothes – the symbol of European Belarus. Many people wore caps and bandannas with the EU symbols. People unfurled the EU and Belarusian national flags, transparent “Belarus to Europe!”, “We support 12 EU proposals”, “European salaries for European prices”. By that time the action organizers – the “For Freedom” movement leader Aliaksandr Milinkevich and one of the Young Front leaders Zmiter Hvedaruk have come to Kastrychnitskaya Square. The “For Freedom” movement leader made a speech from the Trade Unions Palace steps. Here in March 2006 the oppositional leaders spoke to several thousands of people, who came out to Kastrychnitskaya Square to protest against fabricated election results.

Speaking on Kastrychnitskaya Square Aliaksandr Milinkevich called the European March participants go to the permitted gathering place - the Academy of Sciences in a peaceful and orderly way. The “For Freedom” movement leader declared that that the European March is a peaceful action, its participants want to show their support of the EU proposals, which the Belarusian authorities refuse accept. “We want to call our authorities to accept the proposals of the EU. We want to declare to the whole world that Belarus is a European country and must be in the EU”, - Aliaksandr Milinkevich declared. The European March participants welcomed the speech of the “For Freedom” movement leader with slogans “Long live Belarus!” and made way along Nezalezhnasti Avenue to the Academy of Sciences.

The demonstrants filled the both sides of the avenue. Blue, white and red colours filled the capital centre. The EU flags, national white-red-white flags, people in the clothes with EU symbols - all these made the manifestation immensely bright and festive. The slogans “Our time is now!”, “Belarus to Europe!”, “Long live Belarus!” can be heard incessantly.

There became so many people at Peramoha (Pobeda) Square that there wasn’t enough space on the pavements and a part of people went to the road. Against them were thrown ... GAI members (road police). OMON was not used this time. The GAI members in blue uniform with bright green stripes and striped clubs forced roughly the people from the traffic way, and felt free to use their fists. Than against the people the cars were used. The GAI cars began literally running down the people, trying to force them out of the traffic way. If the people hadn’t moved back, the GAI members would have run down them!

The GAI members repeated their tricks several times when people were moving along Nezalezhnasti Avenue. Moreover, as the journalists noted, the GAI members with major and colonel shoulder boards were pushing and kicking the people! Nevertheless people went on moving courageously along the main avenue.

At the Academy of Sciences several thousands people were waiting for the column of demonstrants. The square near the academy and the avenue were crowded with people under blue and white-red-white flags. But there people split into two parts. The biggest one of approximately 5.000 of people remained at the Academy of Sciences, where the oppositional leaders Aliaksandr Milinkevich, Viktar Ivashkevich, Anatol Liabedzka, Vintsuk Viachorka, and Mikola Statkevich spoke. The speakers declared that Belarusians had come out to the European March to declare that the authorities should accept the EU proposals. But the authorities organized provocations in response: arrested the European March organizers, made mopping-up operations in opposition in the regions and in Minsk, banned the initial route from Kastrychnitskaya Square to the national library, and later hindered the peaceful holding of the action along the central Minsk avenue. All these, in politicians’ opinion, make the EU-Belarus relations worse. The appeals of the EU leaders and the EP members who welcomed the European March organizing in Minsk and reminded the authorities the necessity to accept the EU proposals were read at the meeting.

Meanwhile the column of the youth approximately of 1-1.5 thousand of people went on moving along Nezalezhnasti Avenue. The demonstrants unfurled a huge 40-meters flag of the EU and were moving mainly on the traffic way. The GAI members tried to bar the road – than some people lied down on ground before the GAI cars wheels, and the attempts to hinder the action stopped. One of the action participants even managed to climb a tractor staying on the crossroads and raise there a flag of the European Union!

At Park Cheluskintsev the column of the youth turned back and joined another column of demonstrants on Surhanau Street. All together the European March participants went to the Park of Peoples' Friendship where a meeting was to be held. But it didn’t. A car with sound amplifier equipment was detained by militia.

“The European March is not a one-time action, but long time campaign, its start being today. I am glad the action was held peacefully, in a European way. Brave and free people came out to the action in spite of the fact that the authorities organized a massive intimidation campaign: activists’ arrests in Minsk and in the regions. On the enterprises, organizations, educational establishments the citizens, students were made to sign they wouldn’t participate in the European March otherwise they were threatened with dismissals. But people came out all the same. It means we have won, because there are so many brave Belarusians in our country, so many real Europeans!”, - Viktar Ivashkevich, deputy head of the BPF Party (Belarusian Popular Front), the European March organizing committee head, commented the action results in the interview to Charter’97 press center.