Belarusians demand apologies from IIHF

Signatures collection has started on the internet under a petition addressed to the International Ice Hockey Federation with a demand to apologize to Belarusian supporters and allow using national symbols at the games of the Championship.

The incident with the ban on using white-red-white Belarusian national flags has drawn a wide response at the Ice Hockey World Championship.

Civic society opposed such a decision by the IIHF not only in Belarus, but in many other countries around the world. Belarusians and foreigners have bombarded the IIHF and the World Championship-2013 organizers with e-mails and letters demanding to stop discriminating the national symbols, a burst of indignation has poured out on the IIHF and Championship’s pages on social networks, a picket in support of the white-red-white flag took place in Stockholm.

Under the public pressure the International Ice Hockey Federation suggested a “compromise” and allowed taking the flags to the games, but forbad waving them.

Of course, such a decision was taken with scepsis and could not satisfy the supporters. That is why collection of signatures has started on the internet petition-platform change.org under the demand to the International Ice Hockey Federation and the organizers of the World Championship-2013 that they officially apologize to Belarusians and guarantee the free use of national symbols and respect for human rights during competitions.  

The petition may be signed following the link: www.change.org/belarusflaghockey

We would remind that Belarusian national white-red-white flag was forbidden at two first games of the Ice Hockey World Championship-2013 in Sweden. Supporters of the national team were removed from the hockey rink. The commentary followed from the organizers and the International Ice Hockey Federation, saying that a decision was taken to ban the flag at the games of the championship on the grounds that it was considered a political symbol. There are reasons to believe that it is the official Belarusian delegation, accompanying the national team, who stand behind the actions of the federations and the organizers. A similar incident occurred in 2011 in Poland at the women Europe Championship in basketball. Then, having sorted everything out, the authorities apologized to Belarusian supporters.