Aleh Ladutska: “We can resist, power is not almighty”

Youth activists comment on the action of solidarity held on October square in Minsk on November 16.

“Unlike the street actions of solidarity in September and October, this one wasn’t dispersed. I think it is due to courage of democratic activists. The authorities tried to use brut actions to intimidate potential participant with brutal actions. But they saw people continue to attend protest actions and this evokes wide response. I think the authorities are afraid that an issue on sanctions may be solved against them in Brussels. In my opinion, this is a very clear answer to those who say that sanctions do not influence the Belarusian regime. In actual fact, the regime is afraid of sanctions and even a threat of insignificant sanctions,” Yauhen Afnahel, one of the leaders of the civil campaign “European Belarus”, told in an interview to the website jeans-by.com.

“The action on November 16 is a small victory of the democratic forces. This is not because no one was detained. This is our merit: if we gather on the square every time in spite of beating and arrests, we give the authorities to understand that we can’t be stopped by such methods, we do not fear them. Peaceful Solidarity Day is an achievement of every brave person who had taken part in previous street actions.

But our victory is that we were able to attract about 50 people to the action in spite of hard conditions and an atmosphere of fear. Many Belarusians, who are interested in the problem of political prisoners, regard street actions as an opportunity to be beaten and detained. Our task is to ruin this stereotype. On October 29, we hung out 100 national flags on Independence Avenue and showed by this that it is possible to struggle and win in our country. We can resist, power is not almighty. Every Belarusians can contribute to the common cause,” activist of the civil campaign “European Belarus” Aleh Ladutska told in an interview.

On November 16, for 40 minutes demonstrators were standing on the square with portraits of political prisoners and disappeared oppositionists, a poster “We Remember” and national white-red-white flags.

Policemen were not hindering the peaceful rally, which was unusual. However, paddy wagons and police buses packed with riot policemen were standing behind the Palace of Republic.

We remind that all the previous rallies of solidarity on October Square were brutally disbanded by riot policemen, their participants beaten up and arrested. The peaceful course of this rally according to its participants is related to the fact that the issue of extending visa sanctions of the EU against Belarusian officials is studied in Brussels today.