Riot Police Disbanded Another Protest Against Avenues Renaming :: Charter'97 :: News

Yesterday’s protest against renaming of Masherau and Skaryna Avenues was carried out in a new way. The participants divided into several groups and the action was held in three stages.

At 6 p.m. several dozens of different oppositional parties met by the building of Theatre and Arts Academy. Among them there were the leader of the Belarusian Popular front Vintsuk Vyachorka and the United Civil Party leader Anatol Lyabedzka. In several minutes a bus stopped by them/ Riot policemen got out of the bus and started to squeeze people to the yard of the Academy’s hostel. At that moment activists were handing out leaflets to passers-by. Riot policemen were snatching the leaflets, so the passers-by seized the leaflets and wlked away quickly.

Another group of oppositionists, mainly young people, stood by the building of “Kastrychnik” cinema. While riot policemen disbanded protesters from the Theatre and Arts Academy, they handed out informational bulletins. When police chiefs of Savetsky district and riot policemen approached them, non leaflets were left. Young people were simply standing and not leaving. As they told later to radio Svaboda, they distracted the attention of policemen.

On Jakub Kolas Square about fourty people lined up as a chain with portraits of Pyotr Masherau and Frantsysk Skaryna. Several others were dealing out leaflets. They managed to stay there for half an hour. Confused traffic policemen called up their colleagues. One student, who received a leaflet from a picketer, was detained.