BelarusDigest > Politics > Protesters in rural Belarus took the authorities by surprise
Protesters in rural Belarus took the authorities by surprise
18 August 2020
On 9 August, the day of the presidential elections, soon after the polling stations closed, protesters began to take to the streets of Belarusian cities. The rallies of thousands continued throughout the country in the following days. The authorities’...
On 9 August, the day of the presidential elections, soon after the polling stations closed, protesters began to take to the streets of Belarusian cities. The rallies of thousands continued throughout the country in the following days. The authorities’ attempts to severely suppress the movements only resulted in increased protests.
An unusual feature of these protests is that they are not confined to the capital Minsk, but rather spread nationwide. A total of least 33 cities and regional centres have seen protest activity. This demonstrates growing pressure on President Alexander Lukashenka, who has traditionally counted on the support of the population living in rural areas.
How the rural electorate began to speak up
The first catalyst for protests in the regions was Gomel-based blogger Sergei Tikhanovsky, who created the Youtube channel “The Country for Life”. The channel gave a voice to people from rural areas, who via the channel were able to talk about their problems, highlighting the economic and social failures of the state.
In one video, which received 1.3m views, a woman from the town of Hlubokae told viewers about life in her hometown, and expressed her negative attitude towards Lukashenka and his ignorance about the coronavirus pandemic.
If previously it was mainly opposition leaders who spoke publicly about the illegitimacy of the regime and poor socio-economic conditions in Belarus’ provinces, Tikhanovsky’s channel let rural citizens talk to the public themselves.
Tikhanovsky planned to participate in the presidential elections, but was detained after a criminal case was opened against him. Nevertheless, his YouTube channel kept attracting followers, thus giving more rural citizens the courage to speak up and take to the streets. It also debunked the myth that the rural population is Lukashenka’s main electorate, showing their dissatisfaction with his politics and their desire for change.
Protests and police suppression in Belarusian cities
Since election day, people have begun to gather in the main squares of most Belarusian cities, expressing their outrage at the preliminary results announced by the Central Election Commission.
Police have used brutal methods to disperse crowds. For instance, in Brest, the special police unit (OMON) used flash grenades, traumatic guns, and even opened live fire on protesters, who in return attempted to construct barricades. One protester in Brest was wounded with a bullet, and 847 people were detained. In Hrodna, police closed off the city centre, carried out mass arrests and used tear gas against the protesters. Similar incidents happened in other regional centres.
The massive protests in small towns have perhaps come as the biggest surprise to the authorities and police, who throughout the years have been trained to disperse protests mainly in central areas of Minsk. The protests in the cities of Baranavichy, Pinsk, Zhodzina, and Navapolatsk were unexpected, though that did not mean that they avoided a ruthless response by the police. For example, after several thousand people gathered at the executive committee building in Baranavichy, police responded by using flash grenades and tear gas. In nearly every town there were mass detentions, resulting in around 7,000 detainees nationwide, 600 of whom say they were beaten in detention centres, and 2 of whom died. One victim died in a hospital in the city of Gomel, reportedly due to harsh beating.
Peaceful protests led by women and workers
On 12 August women began taking to the streets of Minsk in solidarity chains. Women in other cities and towns started expressing solidarity with the repressed as well. Peaceful protests spread throughout the whole country, with people dressed in white holding flowers coming out to the streets and cars honking in solidarity.
In Hrodna, a few mass protests took place at the main square, where doctors, employees of large state enterprises dressed in uniforms, teachers and paratroopers gathered with posters and portraits of the victims of peaceful protests. A representative of one of the largest state enterprises, Grodno Azot, came out to the protesters to announce a strike.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZELH5QiIkQ
Throughout the country, workers of industrial giants such as Belaruskali, Naftan, MTZ (Belarus Tractor), and BMZ (Belarus Steel Works) began actively expressing their position on the current events. Many of the workers of these rural-located enterprises held large-scale meetings with management, joined protesters, and declared strikes. Workers demand an end to violence and that police be brought to justice, recognition of the elections as illegitimate, the resignation of Lukashenka, and the release of political prisoners.
For example, on 14 August a spontaneous protest took place in Salihorsk at Belaruskali enterprise. At the meeting with management, people demanded the disbandment of the riot police (OMON), legal action against those who used brutality against protesters and detainees, and new presidential elections.
On 17 August, another wave of protests and strikes took place at enterprises, through which workers attempted to defend their civil rights. In Zhlobin, the workers of BMZ (Belarusian Steel Works) ceased production. Miners of Belaruskali announced they had stopped work at the mines. At other state enterprises, such as Grodno Azot, BELAZ in Zhodzina, and Naftan in Navapolatsk, workers put forward demands to management, warning they would suspend production if these demands were not met.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCyix_ztDD4
If the Belarusian authorities were prepared to respond to protest movements in Minsk, they did not expect to see such civic activity in the regional centres and rural areas. In Brest, the authorities went as far as to deploy border control officers and military forces to protect government buildings.
People first took to the streets expressing their dissatisfaction with the falsified elections, and thereafter with the suppression of protests and numerous detentions of protesters. They are fearlessly demonstrating their anger at police brutality. This shows that the point of no return has passed, as the majority of Belarusians no longer need to rely on state TV or other media sources to understand the scale of the protests in the country. Instead, they can observe and join the protesters on the streets of their own towns, expressing their demands to the local and state authorities.
Alena Mikhalkovich
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Belarus now witnesses the largest protests since the 1990s following rigged presidential elections. Hundreds of thousands of people in different parts of the country have been coming out to protest for many days, calling for the release of political prisoners and new elections.
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Belarusian Protesters Brave Live Ammunition Threat – Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty
Champagne meets with exiled Belarus opposition leader – CBC News
Situation in Belarus Everyday – Nexta
Belarus ramps up crackdown on protests, allows police to use lethal weapons – France 24 English
In Belarus, a Cultural Uprising is Also Under Way – VOA News
Scores detained as Belarus police crack down on opposition protesters – France 24 English
Dozens detained in Belarus after clashes with police – Global News
Belarus: personal stories from a country in turmoil – The Guardian
Belarusian opposition figure Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya unfazed by Russian arrest warrant – Euronews
Bringing music to the front lines of the Belarus protests – CBSN
Belarus Protesters Face Physical, Social Repression – Times of Oman
Belarus protests: How women stand up to Lukashenko – DW
EU leaders approve sanctions on Belarus officials after Cyprus drops veto threat – France 24
Belarus police officer who defected speaks out – Reuters
Belarus abruptly swears in Lukashenko
Belarus crackdown: EU ministers welcome Belarus opposition leader – France 24
Belarus: Protesters leak police force data – DW News
Belarus opposition leader Tikhanovskaya in Brussels to meet EU Foreign Affairs ministers – Euronews
Belarusian Police Fire Into Air As Protesters Arrested In City Of Brest – Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
Belarus: More than 200 arrested at anti-government women’s march in Minsk – Euronews
Revolution in Belarus: We want to remain peaceful – Belsat
Demonstrators describe torture at hands of Belarus police – CBC News
Belarus: Maria Kolesnikova charged with threatening national security
Belarus leader Alexander Lukashenko meets with Vladimir Putin – CBS News
Belarus mass arrests fail to stop protests – Al Jazeera
Putin extends $1.5 billion lifeline to Belarus as protests intensify – CBS News
Belarus opposition ‘recognizes it cannot leave Russia’s sphere of influence,’ says analyst – CNBC International
Belarus capital sees violence escalation amid protest crackdown – Al Jazeera
Belarus protests: Masked men arrest dozens of women in Minsk – DW News
How much longer can the Belarusian president hold on? – Al Jazeera
Belarus protests: Masked men arrest dozens of women in Minsk – DW
Can Belarus protesters topple Europe’s last dictator? – the Guardian
Belarus: Opposition figure ‘climbed through car window’ to avoid expulsion – BBC News
Belarus opposition figure ‘detained’ at Ukraine border –
Is a regime change possible in Belarus? – Al Jazeera
Protesters in Belarus Are Being Jailed and Killed, But That Isn’t Stopping Them – VICE News
In Belarus, protesters show pride, worry, empathy – Associated Press
Arrests resume in Belarus as students take to streets of Minsk – Al Jazeera
New protests in Belarus as opposition squabbles, U.S. weighs sanctions – Reuters
Belarusian Opposition Leader Rejects Western Help – VOA
An unbelievable number of people protesting in Minsk, #Belarus. Look how disciplined the protesters are – they even wait for a green signal to cross the street! #supportbelarushttps://t.co/6O5enR3xJq
Reports keep coming that several people have been tortured to death in Minsk detention centre. https://t.co/PY8nN5kEKe spoke to a mother of a 16-year old Timur. He is in coma, police tried to pluck out his eyes with the same batons they raped other people.https://t.co/UaABnLhST5
Lukashenko says Putin offers help as Belarus protesters plan ‘March of Freedom’ – France 24 English
Thousands arrested as protesters call Belarusian election rigged – CNN
Rallies in Moscow and Londow as pro-democracy protests continue in Belarus – Global News
Thousands attend the funeral of a Belarus protester – Sky News
Belarus Protests Continue To Grow – Bloomberg QuickTake News
Will the President of Belarus survive protests against his rule? – AlJazeera
Former president of #Belarus now asks Putin for help. Against whom? Against own people carrying flowers on the streets? It is really big foreign conspiracy to live in parallel world being ready to sacrifice everything.
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