Zubr/Bison: resistance to the regime accelerates every day :: Charter'97 :: News

The first press-conference of an ecologic resistance movement "Zubr/Bison" took place February 13 noon in Minsk. Well in advance the journalists were notified that the event would be staged near the Opera Theatre, but today they were kindly asked to walk toward the nearby monument to a partisan hero Marat Kazei. From the stairs of the monument some young fellow, whom nobody could identify, read out the address, which shocked the journalists.
...Authoritative rulers have always been the enemies of Nature. They feel inexplicable hatred toward the forest. Latin America`s dictators cut down rainforests. Hitler`s fascists in a barbaric way burnt down green forest tracts. Stalin forced millions of humans to cut timber in Gulags. Lukashenko is now seeking to destroy the natural lungs of Europe - Belarusian forest reserves. He wants to turn the country into a radioactive desert.
One of the endangered species in Belarus is ZUBR (European bison). Bison is not a cattle. They cannot survive in bondage. ZUBR`s natural habitat is forest. Natural habitat of humans is freedom. Lukashenko destroys the woods and annihilates freedom.
The forest helped Belarusian partisans to save Belarus from captivity. Today we`ll stand for both our forests and our freedom!..
The letter over, the guy disappeared, without answering any questions. Following is the full text of the address.

DEAR JOURNALISTS!

This is the first ever press-conference of the "Zubr/Bison" movement. That`s the new type movement. We call ourselves an ecologic resistance motion "ZUBR/BISON".

Evils of the dictatorial regime are well known to all of you - these are the abductions of people, crackdown on free press, annihilation of Belarusian language and culture, tortures and ill-treatment of prisoners. Millions of people are suffering from poverty right now.

Let us draw your attention to the fact that Lukashenko`s regime commits crimes against Nature. Dictator`s accomplices are destroying with impunity our natural treasures - Belarusian forests. They are cutting down the trees in huge numbers in Belovezhskaya and Nalibokskaya puschas, Berezinsky, Braslavsky and other forest reserves. Their goal is clear as daylight - to make easy money out of nothing.

Authoritative rulers have always been the enemies of Nature. They feel inexplicable hatred toward the forest. Latin America`s dictators cut down rainforests. Hitler`s fascists in a barbaric way burnt down green forest tracts. Stalin forced millions of humans to cut timber in Gulags. Lukashenko is now seeking to destroy the natural lungs of Europe - Belarusian forest reserves. He wants to turn the country into a radioactive desert.

One of the endangered species in Belarus is ZUBR (European bison). Bison is not a cattle. They cannot survive in bondage. ZUBR`s natural habitat is forest. Natural habitat of humans is freedom. Lukashenko destroys the woods and annihilates freedom.

The forest helped Belarusian partisans to save Belarus from captivity. Today we`ll stand for both our forests and our freedom!

We reject violence. We are for the non-violent resistance to dictatorship. Hundreds of ZUBRs - patriots of Belarus - gave a start to this activity. Four guys are now facing legal action, the reason being "ZUBR/BISON" graffiti, that appeared on the walls throughout Belarus. But our resistance to the regime will increase every day.

We won`t tolerate any more plundering of natural resources!

The dictatorship will shipwreck!

Let`s be together and this year Belarus will get its freedom!