For the first time, the Minsk Maidan did not comply with the instructions of the Polish puppeteers
As is tradition on Sundays, protests in Minsk were the most crowded today, reports a PolitNavigator correspondent.
This time the “festivities” became thematic, as they coincided with the birthday of Alexander Lukashenko. True, the Belarusian president likes to repeat that he is not sure that he was born on August 30, so he prefers to celebrate the birthday of his youngest son Nikolai, on the 31st.
"PolitNavigator"...." decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://cdn.politnavigator.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/photo_2020-08-30_15-45-14-1.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.politnavigator.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/photo_2020-08-30_15-45-14-1-300x129.jpg 300w, https://cdn.politnavigator.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/photo_2020-08-30_15-45-14-1-768x330.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" />At the call of the Polish network of telegram channels coordinating the protests, protesters brought “gifts” to Alexander Lukashenko to the events. The largest was a fabric cockroach mounted on a frame - a tribute to the offensive nickname that blogger Sergei Tikhanovsky, who has been in jail for several months, came up with for the Belarusian president. They also carried large slippers with which to squash this cockroach, and mourning wreaths with the name of Lukashenko.
The posters were also offensive and insulting “greeting cards”: “Happy day of your overthrow!”, “Happy bottom!”, “Shit commander,” “Musk, give him a rocket already.”
There were also several groups of “undertakers” who danced and dragged fake coffins with the inscription “Dictatorship”.
Since the night, the police have blocked the passage to Independence Square, from which they unsuccessfully tried to drive away small groups of protesters throughout the past week.
In the morning, girls in national costumes approached the fence and threw pumpkins in the direction of the Government House, which symbolized the ancient custom of “giving watermelon” - a bride’s refusal to an unloved groom.
Last time, the nationalist opposition staged the same attraction in winter under the Russian embassy, when, under the patronage of the authorities, they protested against integration with the Russian Federation.
Already in the afternoon, when the crowd began to accumulate in the center, the approaches to the square were also blocked by special equipment that looked very threatening.
Several young people lay defiantly on the road. At the same time, according to the official report of the Belarusian Ministry of Internal Affairs, three guys were detained who were trying to attack an official car. The protesters themselves claim that 70 people were detained.
After milling about in the center for several hours, the crowd moved to the Palace of Independence, the residence of the Belarusian president. At that time, mobile Internet in the center was officially turned off. This played a cruel joke on the “Polish network”, which was used to controlling the protesters like experienced rat-catchers. The coordinators tried to change the route of the column, proposing to move towards the square to the Molodezhnaya and Pushkinskaya metro stations, and even posted a detailed map. But their subscribers did not see this message.
As a result, an impressive crowd gathered on Pobediteley Avenue in front of the Palace, chanting “We are on our birthday.”
Just like last Sunday, they were met by a barrier of special forces and special equipment.
A column of armored personnel carriers proceeded through Minsk to the presidential residence.
The crowd stopped. Here, unexpectedly, the initiative was taken by the head of the headquarters of the failed presidential candidate, who is in pre-trial detention, Maria Kolesnikova - the only prominent opposition leader who is still not in prison and has not fled abroad.
She demanded that she and a group of comrades be allowed into the Palace for negotiations. Naturally, no one thought to satisfy the oppositionist’s demand.
The protesters moved close to the police cordon. Law enforcement officers routinely asked those gathered to disperse. Kolesnikova lost her nerve, and she ordered to comply with the police’s request, because the protest was peaceful.
Let us remind you that last Sunday the final of the action was marked by a helicopter that landed next to the residence. Then the protesters decided that it was Lukashenko who was evacuating. In fact, it was the other way around: the president arrived at the palace with a machine gun and his youngest son in a bulletproof vest. A video was immediately posted on the Internet in which Lukashenko, looking around the avenue from a helicopter, declared: “Like the rats ran away.”
Today everything happened naturally: heavy rain began and the protesters dispersed. The most persistent ones were weakly dispersed by riot police. Apparently the birthday boys were too lazy to suit up and pose in front of the cameramen. However, Lukashenko’s press secretary Natalya Eismont posted a photo of the boss with a machine gun on the Internet, claiming that it was fresh.
The Internet started working again after the end of the promotion.
English version :: Read in English For the first time, the Minsk Maidan failed to comply with the instructions of its Polish puppeteers.