19 March 2024, Tuesday, 14:08
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Vaclau Areshka: Belarusians should offer rebuff to “Russian world”

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Vaclau Areshka: Belarusians should offer rebuff to “Russian world”

Handing out flags of Russia and “St. George’s ribbons” in Belarus is intolerable.

Such a statement has been made to charter97.org website by a cultural studies scholar and a member of an organizing committee for creation of the Belarusian Movement (Belarusian Movement) Vatslau Areshka.

- Recently facts of handing out little Russian flags have been registered in many cities of Belarus. What stands behind it, and could such facts be taken seriously?

- To my mind, it is one of the manifestations of the notorious “Russian world”. It seems to me that it is a very unpleasant, dangerous and not accidental phenomenon. Earlier it was not so aggressive in Belarus, as it was in Ukraine, or in some other regions, but now it goes into the assault. And I think that it should be repelled, and it should be countered with our Belarusian world, our language and world outlook. Again, it is the undeclared war carried out by Russia against the entire world now. And if no resistance put up to it, we have a chance of founding ourselves under the feet of Russia.

- You have said that Russia should be countered, but how? Should we take to arms, as Zyanon Paznyak, the leader of the Conservative Christian Party Belarusian Popular Front offered?

- First of all, each of us should realize clearly, to which world he belongs. And if not to the Russian one, one should propagandize one’s own. We should give no peace to all these Russian flags, “potato beetle” ribbons, propagate our idea and symbols. It is not a difficult, but at the same time a rather effective move. People have stopped wearing white-red-white flags. But we should return to such methods of Belarusian ideas’ popularizing.

- And to your mind, why Belarusian police shut their eyes to handing out symbols of the country which is an occupier and a sponsor of terrorism, and at the same time persecute and even beat up people for a white-red-white flags and “Pahonya” emblem?

- That’s because we have a collaborationist state, and the leader of this collaboration is Lukashenka. That is why policemen defend the occupier, and not their own country.

- But just recently at the so-called “Independence Day” the dictator delivered part of his speech in Belarusian, a statue of Grand Duke Alherd was unveiled in Vitsebsk, and many people had euphoria, as they imagine, Lukashenka confronts Russia…

- There is no opposition to Russia. In the society and even among some representatives of opposition there are talks that Lukashenka is a defendant of independence. He simply defends his life, as he understands perfectly well that there is no place for him in any North Western regions. On the other hand, he has to adapt to some oppositionist circles. And we know very well the situation with the Belarusian language and history. So there are no positive steps in this sphere, and temporary facade improvement at the best case.

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