29 March 2024, Friday, 9:25
Support
the website
Sim Sim,
Charter 97!
Categories

Belarus: The Path From Protest to Revolution

20
Belarus: The Path From Protest to Revolution
PHOTO: nasha NIVA

A unique process is taking place in the country.

Outwardly, this appears very interesting.

The Belarusian social networks are actively rethinking the tactics of the revolution. Outwardly, this appears very interesting. Many protesters subjectively feel that they have become less active. On the contrary, Lukashenka and his officials show more and more nervousness and are forced to make inadequate decisions, for example, by blocking the exit from the country, organizing a senseless hunt for red-white-red symbols. This is more important because the effectiveness of the protest is measured by the reaction of the authorities.

And the world pays more and more attention to the Belarusian revolution, and this is not only a matter of sympathy. The Belarusian revolution aroused great sympathy in all countries because it breaks down global phobias - fear of "brainwashing" and fear of indifference, loneliness, the so-called "atomization" of society.

In a country that was considered one of the most "telezombified," millions of people, despite everything, show the independence of political thinking and the highest level of solidarity.

Another unique thing is happening - the Belarusian revolution is constantly working on its own content, while most modern protest movements focus on form and external effects.

It is interesting that starting in August, one or the other part of the Belarusian society takes over the leadership. At some stage, they were strikers, at another - associations of neighbors, students, and teachers, then doctors, eminent athletes, journalists, human rights activists. And each group brings something different to the overall content. Now a new group has taken up the baton - those politicians and civil activists whom the regime has deported. Their initiatives are the struggle for the imposition of economic sanctions, the beginning of absentee trials of punishers, diasporas' transformation into alternative embassies, and much more. If the "street" really actively supports these initiatives, then the relay race will continue.

Yes, there is a serious organizational issue: how to collect mass demonstrations in Belarusian cities' centers if the punishers actually do not allow people to leave their homes, tracking literally every yard. But the protesters, trying different options and learning to coordinate more effectively through social media, have amassed enough skills to tackle the problem. It is important that the problem itself is not substantive but organizational, technical.

Experience shows that in situations like this, there are two options for behavior. The first option is when people clearly see an attractive perspective, the country's image after the overthrow of the dictatorship, and see the enemy simply as an annoying hindrance, nothing more. The second option is to focus exclusively on the actions of the punishers. The first option is characterized by a discussion of the desired future and truly important events. In the second option, savoring of insignificant details usually begins, and the focus is not on the events themselves but on the negative emotions caused by them. It is easy to understand that the first option leads to victory.

Simply put, if the majority wants changes and at the same time is afraid of them, then the protest, most likely, will remain a protest without passing into the victorious, revolutionary stage. If the fear of changes has been overcome, if society itself no longer interferes with the normal course of history, then the obstacle represented by the numerically small ruling class of "siloviki" ceases to be something insurmountable. When the oppositional Belarusian media last week proclaimed the principle: "The country with the highest IQ in Europe should no longer be the poorest," all doubts disappeared. It became clear that the Belarusian revolution is about the further development of one's country and not about the "Lukashenka problem." Maybe the Belarusians fear making mistakes, and there are fears for their loved ones, but there is no longer any fear of changes.

Grigory Melamedov, Echo of Moscow

Write your comment 20

Follow Charter97.org social media accounts