European March to go on until authorities accept 12 EU proposals

“The campaign” European March” is to go on until the Belarusian government accepts 12 EU proposals”, - Viktar Ivashkevich, the European March organizing committee head declared today on the summary press conference. According to the politician, it depends on everybody whether the next year will be a crucial one in the relations between Belarus and Europe.

“It depends on everybody today the next year to be a crucial one in the relations between Belarus and Europe. I would like to call everybody who came yesterday to the march and everybody who wanted to participate but couldn’t for some reasons: come to the Belarusian democratic parties offices, take the propaganda materials and hand them to your colleagues, neighbours, relatives, and friends – it will be a concrete contribution to the common cause, that the European March achieves its aims and we become at least good neighbours of the European Union and in the perspective – the EU member”, - Viktar Ivashkevich is sure.

According to Viktar Ivashkevich, on the example of the European March the united democratic forces demonstrated they can work together, can formulate clear ideas and put them into practice. “All the democratic forces and nongovernmental organizations supported the European March. Besides, we managed to involve in our plan realization the European countries leadership which unambiguously voiced our support and demanded the authorities should observe the constitutional right for freedom of assembly. Although the authorities hindered the march organization by all means, arrested people, organized intimidation campaigns on enterprises, universities, student hostels but nevertheless at the last moment they gave the people gathered to walk from Kastrychnitskaya (Oktiabrskaya) Square to the Park of Peoples’ Friendship”, - the European March organizing committee head declared.

Vintsuk Viachorka, the BPF Party (Belarusian Popular Front) leader considers to be positive the fact that Belarusians came to the European March in spite of intimidation and disinformation campaign. The politician also noted that the today’s disinformation campaign organized by the authorities had unprecedented methods.

“Anonymously or allegedly on behalf of Viktar Ivashkevich the sms messages were sent to Minsk dwellers inviting them to come to an absolutely wrong place. The wrong weather reports were used. All Belarusian radio and TV channels announced storm warning, ice-slick and snow, though the weather on Sunday was sunny. The free mass media were also used, they again and again reported about the arrests, threatens and intimidation, it must have stopped the people implicitly. But the activists came all the same. I think all the organizing problems, several columns in particular, didn’t hinder its effectivenesss”.

In Vitsuk Viachorka’s opinion, the next year will be very difficult for Belarus.

“This year is a year of inevitable economic crisis, unfortunately. The recessionary tendencies will grow both in economy and policy. It will pull apart the authority elite of Belarus. At the same time, to my regret, the threat that Belarus can loose its independent will become stronger. But I have no doubts that there are the real Belarusian patriots in many ministries, the National Bank, in culture sphere, who understand that without the national consolidation it will be very difficult to save our economic, energy and political independence. European support and national values are interrelated. Without the European support, cooperation with the EU we can’t defend our independence. And vice versa. Without the national revival, without the comeback of the Belarusian spirit in Belarus, without the independence defend under white-red-white flag it will be very hard for us the next year. It can be predicted that the late winter and spring will be extremely difficult. The authorities don’t give a strategic answer, they go on hustling, looking for loans elsewhere – from Ahmadinejad to Abramovich, but all the same it is connected with our national values betrayal. The European March was the attempt of mobilizing potential before the next year. The next year will become a year of the independence defense and I am sure the independence defense will be under white-red-white flag”, - the BPF Party leader declared.