March on Moscow with pillows (Photo)

On September 8 about 1,000 young people gathered in Minsk for a “pillow fight” dedicated to the anniversary of the Battle of Vorsha.

Most of participants had “weaponry”: pillows, sleeping bags, stuffed toys. Beside warriors who participated in the “pillow fight”, many journalists, photographers and looker-on came, “Nasha Niva” writes.

In the beginning of the event organisers could hardly hold in check the crowd: participants were ready to throw at enemies even before learning the rules of the game and entering the battle field. As everybody wanted to be a Litvin, one of the organisers of the action, Andrei Kim, offered those who was born on odd-numbered days go under the white flag of Litvins, and those born on even-numbered days to gather under the red flag of the Grand Duchy of Moscow. On the way to the “battle field” one of the representatives of the Moscow troops shared his impressions:

- I do not want to fight at the side of Moskals (Muscovites). I cannot allow myself to defeat over Litvins and go against the historical truth.

During the battle all the disputes over ethnicity were forgotten. Everyone wanted to win. The troops of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania with their soft weapons attacked the forces of the Grand Duchy of Moscow. “Moscow” warriors have hit Litvins on their heads with fluffy toys too. Nobody wanted to admit defeat. However, there is no arguing against the history: like in 1514, the army of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania won.

After the first battle there was a second, a third one. Soldiers were fighting, fell on the ground, got up and continued their struggle. The battle continued until the sunset. When exhausted but happy participants dispersed, the battle field was white with feathers and polyester batting. At least ten pillows were torn on the Day of Belarusian Military Glory.

Before the event started, Andrei Kim told the story of the Battle of Vorsha. On September 8, 1514 the he army of Grand Duchy of Moscow was defeated by the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Kingdom of Poland under the command of military leader Hetman Kanstantsin Astrozhski.

Policemen of the Central district of Minsk were just onlookers during the happening. Organisers had a permission from Minsk city executive committee to hold “Pillow Fight”. The only request of policemen was not to use national symbols. Despite of the fact that the battle was held without national flags, the slogan “Long Live Belarus!” was often heard there.

Many young people including organisers had T-shirts on with the words: “Get a pillow, Moskal!” (A pun on the phrase: “Get the grenade, Fascist!”)

Many pro-Lukashenka mass-media, including Interfax agency, informed about the event in a neutral tone.

It is the second performance of the kind in Belarus this year. The first one was dedicated to the events of the Battle of Grunwald.

Pillow fight is an international movement which has dozens of thousands of “fighters” all over the world. The largest pillow fight took place in the University at Albany, in Albany, New York, where 3,648 participants fought for peace around the world. The motto of the pillow fight is: “Make feathers, not war!”