“Expabel” Administration Promised To Deal With Renters Who Attacked “Young Front” Activists

On July 19, the Young Front activists held a rally at Expabel market.

The reason for it was the conflict that happened at the market on Saturday. Then there was a fight between local sole traders and the Young Front members, tut.by reports.

On July 16, activists of the sports and patriotic club Vayar of the Young Front organized a talaka in Kurapaty in the order to tidy up the memorial after the storm.

According to the Young Front leader Zmitser Dashkevich, sole trader Aliaksandr Filimonau reacted aggressively to the chevrons with “Pahonia” emblems, when the activists entered the cafe. The conflict started when the young men came out of the cafe.

– We came to the market to sharpen our saw and, while we were waiting, six or seven men ran up to us. First we just argued, and then they started to beat us – punching in the face, too, – an event participant Siarhei Strybulski said.

According to him, the Young Front members did not fight back, they were only blocking the hits and called the police immediately. The police officer arrived, however, according to Strybulski, he didn’t approach the conflict participants.

The Young Front activists decided to come to Expabel on Sunday to discuss the incident with the parties to the conflict and the market administration. None of the conflict initiators were there, so today they came back again, 10 of them.

However, the main instigator of the fight Aliaksandr Filimonau was not there today again.

Yauhen, who had participated in the conflict on the opposite side, explained his position:

– I saw people with “Pahonia” and I did not like their position, so I decided to pass a comment.

He did not deny the fact of the conflict, but he did not say anything about the fight.

Senior Expabel administrator Pavel Astapovich registered the YF activists’ complaint and promised to answer it in due time. The Young Front members said that also would send an appeal to the Ministry of Trade and the prosecutor's office.

Astapovich said that the conflict instigator Aliaksandr Filimonau was not a market renter, but only delivered goods. “The market administration will deal with any of the renters who provoke such conflicts, because it does not serve our interests. I promise to conduct an internal investigation of what happened,” – Pavel Astapovich assured.

In addition, he promised to talk to other traders, to find out the names of all parties to the conflict and to take measures.

– Everyone has the right to express his political views and should have no problems related to that, – the Expabel representative said.

The Young Front leader Zmitser Dashkevich was satisfied with today's meeting.

– These people have shown their “courage”: they chickened out and did not come. This situation is absolutely inacceptable. We weren’t imposing any ideas on the market employees, were trying not to argue with anyone, were just passing by, and got attacked, like in the 90s, – he commented on the Saturday conflict.