Solidarity with Belarus: Lyapis Trubetskoy’s Concert in Warsaw (Video)

A concert “Solidarity with Belarus” is underway in the capital of Poland.

It started at 7 p.m. local time (8 p.m. Minsk time) in Krakow suburb in the center of Warsaw. This year a show of a cult Polish band Maleo Reggae Rockers, Kozak System (Ukraine) and two Belarusian bands, Amaroka and Lyapis Trubetskoy. Beside the musicians, Belarusian and Polish poets are to appear on the stage.

As reporters of charter97.org inform, even before the event started, hundreds of Belarusians with national flags gathered near the spot. A group of people chanted “Long live Belarus”, “Glory to Ukraine!”, “Putin is dickhead” and “Putin is asshole”.

A great number of guests from our country, representatives of diaspora, political refugees, former political prisoners – Andrei Sannikov, Natalya Radzina, Zmitser Bandarenka, Uladzimer Kobets, have arrived to the concert. Lyudmila Kavalyova, the mother of the person executed on charges of Minsk metro terrorist attack which happened three years ago, Uladzislau Kavalyou, has also come to Warsaw. There are also many Poles and Ukrainians there.

After the performance of Amaroka band, a deputy of the European Parliament from Poland Pawel Zalewski came upon the stage. “Poland will always help Belarusians in their struggle for freedom,” he underlined in his speech. “Belarusians know better than anyone else what freedom is, as they pay for it by their blood.” “Mińsk Kijów Warszawa - wspólna sprawa (Minsk, Kyiv, Warsaw – we have common goal,” – the European MP said finishing his speech.

After that a well-known Polish band Maleo Reggae Rockers came upon the stage. The first song performed by them was called “Hypocrites.” As said by the front man of the band, it was dedicated to Lukashenka and Putin.

The lead singer of the Polish band told that he performed in Maidan and he believes that there will be their own revolution in Belarus, like in Ukraine.

Sergey Mikhalok, like the rest of Lyapis Trubetskou band had a meeting with the leader of the civil campaign “European Belarus” Andrei Sannikov and the editor-in-chief of the website charter97.org Natalya Radzina.

At that moment a well-known Ukrainian group Kozak System was on the stage. One of the songs of the band was dedicated to Maidan. After their performance the audience chanted “Glory to Ukraine” and “Heroes never die”.

Before Lyapis Trubetskoy entered the stage, Agnieszka Romaszewska-Guzy, a director of Belsat TV channel, delivered a speech. This TV channel had organized the concert. A journalist and a former political prisoner Andrzej Poczobut also addressed the audience. “Today, when Ukraine faces a disaster, and Belarus lives under the dictatorship for as many as 20 years, the main thing is for Belarus, Poland and Ukraine to be united, then we can fear no Putin, no “green people,” he said.

When Sergey Mikhalok and his group were to appear on the stage, light went down suddenly. “Putin has cut down gas and electricity,” the said the host of the concert jokingly, and offered everyone to light a light and invite Lyapis by chanting “Long live Belarus!” The audience met this proposal gladly and lit their phones’ screens. In a few minutes the musicians took the stage.

The band started their show traditionally with the song “Trubetskoy has come to us”. Then there were “Matryoshka” and “Dance”, however “Warriors of the Light” song was greeted with fervor. This song has become widely popular thanks to Ukrainian ultras and the crew of Cherkassy trawler blocked in Crimea by Russians.

After the song “Afrika” Sergey Mikhalok started to chant “Long live Belarus!” and “Glory to Ukraine!” from the stage. Thousands of people supported him. After that the musicians sang a song “A dragon and an eagle.”

The concert-action “Solidarity with Belarus” is held every year since 2006 (with the exception of 2010). Popular bands from Belarus and Poland, as well as prominent workers of culture personas, perform at this concert. Organisers of this initiative say that in this way they want to enlighten Poles in regard to the actual Belarusian culture, to tell about the problems faced by Belarusians in their country, and show support to them.