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Mass Action In Defense Of Belarusian Independence In Minsk (Video, Online)

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Mass Action In Defense Of Belarusian Independence In Minsk (Video, Online)
Photo by svaboda.org

The organizers urge Belarusians to join the action.

The actions aimed at the defense of independence and sovereignty of Belarus took place in Minsk today.

Important to note, these days Lukashenka and Putin are discussing the Belarus-Russia “integration” issues in Sochi. On December 8, a session of the “supreme state council of the union state” is planned to be held in Moscow, during which they are going to sign integration documents, including 31 “roadmaps”. The content of these “roadmaps” are kept secret from Belarusians.

One of the leaders of Belarusian Christian democracy Pavel Seviarynets, called for an action in defense of the country's independence in Minsk in the Kalinouski (Kastrychnitskaya) Square. The action started at 12.00, and lasted for 5 hours. Over 2 thousand people took part in it. After the demonstration in the Kastrychnitskaya Square, the column marched along the avenue to the Independence square, and then moved to the Freedom Square. After the demonstration in the Freedom Square, the people returned to the Kastrychnitskaya Square. After the second demonstration there, the column of people headed for the Yakub Kolas Square.

The organizers call on Belarusians to come to the Kastrychnitskaya Square again tomorrow, December 8, at 12.00.

The website Charter97.org provides an online text coverage the actions in defense of the sovereignty of Belarus.

16:41

The action will continue tomorrow, on December 8, at 12.00 in the Kastrychnitskaya Square in Minsk. Thank you for being with us. We will be together tomorrow!

16:33

Pavel Seviarynets has called on the people to come to the Kastrychnitskaya Square again tomorrow, at 12.00. The people are chanting “No to Anschluss!”, “Independence!”, and “Join us!”

16:28

The participants of the action, having raised the white-red-white flags up high, are singing Belarusian national anthems.

16:25

A demonstration is taking place in the Yakub Kolas square. The participants thereof are calling on Belarusians to come out again tomorrow, at 12.00 to the Kastrychnitskaya Square in Minsk.

16:22

The participants of the procession are approaching the monument to the Belarusian poet Yakub Kolas.

16:16

A column of people with posters and banners against the integration with the Russian Federation continues to move along the avenue to the Yakub Kolas Square. The slogan “Long Live Belarus!” constantly sounds.

16:07

The column has approached the Victory Square.

16:04

The protesters have burnt portraits of Putin and Lukashenka, as well as the Russian flag.

15:55

The column is moving further along the Independence Avenue, approaching the Victory Square. The horns of cars are heard, the drivers support the marching people.

15:46

The protesters take turns reading into the microphone the patriotic poems by Yanka Kupala.

15:45

The people are gathering at the monument to poet Yanka Kupala in the park of the same name. A large national flag has been hoisted at the monument.

15:38

A young Minsker has told on air to Belsat, that he was watching the action live on Internet, and then he thought “Why not joining in?”, and has joined the participants of the action.

15:36

The action against the integration with Russia has lasted for nearly 4 hours. The people are walking along the Independence Avenue, heading for the Yakub Kolas Square. The cars are signalling in support.

15:33

Pavel Seviarynets has called on the people to go to the Yakub Kolas Square.

15:30

The participant of the action from Russia has stated the following:

“I am a Russian, from Russia. I know very well what the authorities did to my country. Belarusians, you must not allow this to be done with your country, otherwise you will be slaves! Fight! ”

15:28

The participants of the action are chanting “This is our country!”

15:27

Coordinator of the European Belarus civil campaign Andrei Sharenda has spoken. “Our children should live in a free, independent country. Stop watching live streams, stop sitting in the internet, join us in the square!” the activist has told.

15:25

Leader of the Razam movement Viachaslau Siuchyk has taken the floor. He said that “two scary men Putin and Lukashenka are going to decide the fate of Belarus, although they have no right to do so.” He recalled the wars that Russia unleashed in Georgia and Ukraine.

“Now Putin wants to be hated in Belarus also, because we will not surrender the country. Come at 12 o’clock tomorrow, bring your relatives, friends and acquaintances. This is not just an episode in the life of the nation, perhaps we will have to pay with our lives for these integration cards. An alliance with Russia is a war. Therefore, while we have the opportunity for peaceful protest - come tomorrow and get ready for the fight. We need to raise the whole of Belarus,” Siuchyk has said.

15:18

Diplomat, former deputy and Ambassador of Belarus to Germany Piotr Sadouski has spoken. He has told how the Declaration of Independence of Belarus was adopted by the Supreme Council, and sang a song to Yanka Kupala’s lyrics. “Let there be ten times more of us tomorrow!” Sadouski has said.

15:15

“No Putin, no Lukashenka, no self-proclaimed presidents will force us to enter into any alliance. You have your own house, and we have ours. Our dictator stole our lives, 25 years, and our children have no future. I am standing here so that my children live as masters in their own land. We need to resist! ”a BCD activist has stated at the rally.

15:12

A retired economist from Minsk is speaking. She says that today Lukashenka spends the Russian subsidies exclusively on his residences, palaces and luxurious life, and people in the country barely survive. Her pension is only 450 rubles, it is impossible to survive with this money. “We do not want to go into any alliances. We were already in one union,” the woman says.

15:06

“We need to think about ourselves, we need to think about our country. We will defend it by any means, including by fighting with traitors,” says European Belarus activist Maksim Viniarski.

15:04

Many young people are participating in the action - active young people, who understand that their grandfathers, fathers fought for the independence of Belarus, and now it’s their turn to defend it.

14:49

Leader of the Freedom Party Siarhei Vysotski is speaking. He has said that the authorities crossed the red line and are no longer capable of defending the national interests. he hasn’t also ruled out that the national-liberation movement would happen in Belarus in case of the illegal “integration” with Russia.

14:45

The participants of the action in the Freedom Square are calling to release political prisoners.

14:40

The people are gathering in the Freedom Square at the Minsk City Hall. The slogan “Freedom to the People!” sounds.

14:38

The head of the column is approaching the Freedom Square.

14:31

The column is moving very slowly along the narrow International Street. Traffic police do not let people out to the roadway, although it is absolutely empty.

14:27

The participants in the action are viewed from the windows. The people are chanting “Join In!”

14:26

The column went to the International Street. The narrow street is completely filled with people. “Independence!” is sounding loudly.

14:20

A large column of people continues to move towards the Ramamauskaya Slabada, the people all the time are chanting “Long live Belarus”, “Independence!”, “We Believe! We Can! We Shall Win!” There are actually a lot of people.

14:15

In the Valadarski street, the column does not fit on the sidewalks, and people still go out onto the roadway.

14:13

Participants in the rally took to the roadway. Traffic policemen returned people back to the sidewalks.

14:09

The column is moving from the Independence Square to Freedom Square.

14:07

“Independence for me is when they do not hide questions from me that they cough up in their offices,” says a young Minsker participating in the action in support of independence.

14:04

“Stop joking on the Internet! You need to be responsible citizens! People, join us,” says the girl participating in the rally in Minsk.

14:03

“Enough to depend on Russia in the political, economic and mental sense. Free people from Russia and Belarus need to unite against the “union state,” says another Vitsebsk activist.

14:01

“Independence is an opportunity to manage one’s own resources. It’s not easy for us, but going to Russia, where it is even worse ?! In Russia, there is terrible corruption, while the people are poor,” says a participant in the rally from Vitsebsk.

13:57

Priest of the Belarusian Autocephalous Orthodox Church Leanid Akalovich has said the prayer.

13:56

The protesters gathered at the Red Catholic Church. Pavel Seviarynets called for prayer for “deliverance of Belarus from the evil”. People are reading the prayer “Our Father”.

13:55

One of the protesters, who came from the region to the rally in support of independence, said: “I am against integration with Russia, but not against Russians. I am against Lukashenka and Putin. We must fight for independence. I came from another city because I suddenly realized, if not now, then when?”

13:50

The column has arrived to the Independence Square at the Government House.

13:42

Participants in the march in defense of independence sing the anthem “Pahonia”

13:36

There are more and more participants in the procession, a sea of national flags is waving.

13:32

The people have stopped for a while under the KGB building, unfolded the national flag. The patriotic music is playing, Belarusian and European flags are fluttering. The slogan “Long live Belarus!” sounds.

13:30

The KGB building is guarded by people in civilian clothes. They are clearly scared.

13:29

The column has resumed movement along the avenue, and approached the KGB building.

13:27

The column has stopped at the GUM store for a while to wait for the people who were still coming from the Kastrychnitskaya Square. Passersby join the action, the people are chanting “Independence!”

13:22

The action participants have unfolded a large white-red-white flag. Many national flags are waving, patriotic songs are heard from the speakers.

13:15

Participants in the march along Independence Avenue are chanting: “An alliance with Russia is war!”, “An alliance with Russia is poverty!”, “Basta!”, “Long live Belarus!”, “Independence!”.

13:13

Pavel Seviarynets has called on the participants of the action to march along the avenue to the Independence Square and return to Kastrychnitskaya, so that "people would see us".

13:11

Opposition activist Ihar Rynkevich is speaking. He has told that the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum took a resolution the other day in Brussels, that all the "unionist" agreements that Putin and Lukashenka might adopt, will be considered illegitimate. The resolution was signed by the representatives of all six Eastern Partnership member states.

13:07

The protesters are tearing the portraits of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

13:02

Co-chair of the Belarusian Christian Democracy party Volha Kavalkova is speaking. “A man whom we did not choose as president is today trading in the country. Do you want to wake up tomorrow as the citizens of another, hostile country? We must do everything possible so that the Belarusian authorities see that we are against this. We cannot but respond to this. I urge everyone to show that we stand united in our position, and we are against the integration with Russia.

12: 52

Blogger and activist of the European Belarus civil campaign Andrei Voynich has spoken. He called on all Belarusian bloggers and media to report on the rally and urge people not to go home, but to come out for a peaceful rally for Independence.

12:51

People are chanting “Join in!”, urging Belarusians to go to the Kastrychnitskaya Square.

12:50

The People's Poet of Belarus, one of the leaders of the BNC Uladzimir Niakliayeu, has made a statement saying that you cannot trade a country without the knowledge of the people.

“The biggest crime is to sign certain Molotov-Ribbentrop pacts in order to again blow up our country. Nobody says that we should not cooperate with our neighbors (Russians, Poles, Lithuanians, Ukrainians), but we are not a vassal country and we won’t serve anyone!” Niakliayeu has said.

12:45

Famous Belarusian historian, writer Uladzimir Arlou is speaking:

“There are more than 3,000 nations and nationalities in the world. And only about 200 were able to create their own independent states. This is our greatest value. I recall our white-red flags in Vilnius two weeks ago at the parting with our heroes Kastus Kalinouski and his associates. It was then, from this uprising, that the path to the Belarusian independence began. Do you remember the rebel password? Who do you love? I Love Belarus! So this is mutual. This is our national idea. Our rebels of 1863 are with us, the creators of the Belarusian People's Republic are with us, the Slutsk rebels are with us, all Belarusians are with us, who died in the dungeons of the NKVD in 1937. We will not give up independence!” said Arlou.

12:41

Activist of the Razam movement Alena Talstaya calls on Belarusians to come to the Kastrychnistkaya Square.

12:40

A big banner has been unfolded “No integration with Russia. Putin, fuck off! ”

12:38

A colleague of Mikalai Statkevich, one of the leaders of the Social Democratic Party Narodnaya Hramada, Valiantsin Trokski, is speaking. He has said that undercover negotiations on the fate of Belarus between Putin and Lukashenka are unacceptable.

12:36

The protesters are clapping, raising their hands, and chanting “Long Live Belarus!”

12:35

Activist Dzianis Urbanovich has spoken, who urged people not to sit in the kitchens, but to take to the streets and fight for the country.

12:34

Coordinator of the European Belarus Maksim Viniarski has spoken, who said that Belarusians would fight for their country with all the necessary methods.

12:33

Pavel Seviarynets has announced that the action will last long. “We will stand here while Putin and Lukashenka are negotiating!”, the politician has said and urged Minsk residents to take people from the regions overnight. The people will gather again tomorrow at 12.00 in the Kastrychnitskaya Square.

12:27

Pavel Seviarynets is speaking, calling to fight for the independence of Belarus. People are chanting “Independence!”

12:26

People nevertheless took the steps at the Palace of the Republic. Coordinator of European Belarus Yauhen Afnahel has taken the floor. The people are chanting “Let's send Alex to Russia!”

12:24

Another clash at the Palace of the Republic, which develops into a fight. The people are shouting “Fascists!”

12:23

Riot policemen in plain clothes ran to the Palace of Trade Unions. Then the people returned to the Palace of Republic. The vision of the running riot police seems to amuse the participants of the action. They whistle and shout “Disgrace on You!”

12:22

There are already several thousand people in the Square. They are chanting “Long live Belarus!” People are moving towards the Palace of Trade Unions.

12:18

People are chanting to the riot policemen in civilian clothes “You Are Fascists!”

12:17

Coordinator of the European Belarus Maksim Viniarski has been beaten.

12:16

Police officers in civilian clothes are pushing and beating people, not allowing them to climb the stairs. People are chanting “Disgrace!”

12:15

More than a thousand people have come to the Palace of the Republic. Police officers in civilian clothes, in a rude manner and without explaining anything, do not allow people to climb the stairs of the building.

12:13

The rally involves coordinators of the European Belarus civil campaign Yauhen Afnahel, Maksim Viniarski, and other activists with the European flags of the campaign. The leader of the For Freedom movement Yury Hubarevich, activist Nina Bahinskaya, Chairman of the United Civil Party Mikalai Kazlou, and leader of the Razam movement Viachaslau Siuchyk have also arrived.

12:06

Pavel Seviarynets is speaking. He has announced the start of the demonstration in 15 minutes. The entire square is chanting “Long Live Belarus!”

12:04

One of the leaders of the Belarusian National Congress Uladzimir Niakliayeu has said: “The Belarusian vassal was called to the metropolis today to kneel. Putin will seek to implement his long-standing idea - Belarus’s accession to Russia. The aim of this is not just to remain president for another term, it’s the eternal Russian imperial idea. But we will not allow to make secret decisions regarding the fate of our country! ”

12:02

In response to police threats, the people are chanting “Long live Belarus!” And do not disperse.

12:01

Car drivers sound their signals, motivating the protesters.

12:00

In the Kastrychnitskaya Square, more and more people are gathering. Now there are several hundred participants. Some came with posters in which they expressed their attitude towards the integration with the Russian Federation: “This is not integration, this is occupation!”

11:55

People of different ages are standing there, holding hands: youth, families with children, senior citizens.

11:54

The number of participants of the Chain of Independence on the side of the Lukashenka administration has also increased. Now there are also about a hundred people.

11:53

In the Kastrychnitskaya Square, there are about a hundred people standing under the national flags.

11:51

A large group of people with national white-red-white flags is moving from the Independence Square to the Kastrychnitskaya Square.

11:50

A police officer with a megaphone has approached the participants in the Chain of Independence,demanding that the people must disperse.

11:49

The number of participants in the action is increasing. Dozens more people, holding hands, are standing opposite the GUM department store.

11:44

Dozens of people are standing along the avenue. Young people are saying why they have come to the action.

“I came to the rally because I stand for the independence of Belarus.”

“I am a citizen with an active civic position. The country is in danger. I do not agree to the integration with Russia. This is the path on how many paths. ”

“What is Russia? We have our own country and we do not want to sell it for oil and gas. It is below low. Honour and dignity! We will win”.

“I can no longer stand being afraid. This beast said that this is the end, there will be no democracy. He declared war against us. We won’t succumb peacefully! ”

11:36

People are holding hands, and begin to line up along the Independence Avenue on both sides - in the Kastrychnitskaya Square, and on the side of the Lukashenka administration.

11:32

Co-chairman of the Belarusian Christian Democracy Party Pavel Seviarynets is already in the Kastrychnitskaya Square. He has stated that he intends to take part in two actions in support of independence. “For thousands of years Belarus has fought for its independence, dozens of people have given their lives for this. We should not look calmly at how they play cards for our country,” he has said.

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