Witness from Hrodna: Bus with riot police was behind market waiting for order to attack

Market traders defended one of their colleagues at the Southern market in Hrodna.

Vitali, a Hrodna dweller who at the Southern market when a conflict between a seller and tax inspectors broke out, told charter97.org details of the incident. Market traders are reported to have defended their colleague and tried to save him and his goods from tax inspectors, who visited the market without a warning and order.

“Everything began when rumours appeared that tax inspectors and officers of the organised crime department came to a trader with an audit. My friend and I went there to see what was happening. We came to his booth and saw that tax inspectors were counting his jeans. They didn't have any orders. They just came in and began to press on him. A friend of us, a jeans trader, has a booth on the opposite side, so we went to him,” Vitali says.

– Why did tax officers come? Did they want to seize the remained goods?

– Yes, it was something about the remained goods or mistakes in the sales journal. People began to close their booths and come to him. They began to tell one another that tax inspectors were confiscating goods. Traders tried to make the tax officers leave the booth and close it. They called the police. Police officers arrived. A colonel or a general came and began to talk to people. They had questions, but he couldn't give clear answers. He said he arrived only to keep order. Traders said the tax inspectors wanted to seize goods without any orders in violation of the law, but he replied it wasn't his business. It's always like that.

– Were there a lot of people?

– Yes, there were a lot of people, about 400. People came closer, returned to close their booths and came to us again.

– What about the police?

– As it turned out later, there were 20 police officers. A friend of my also saw a bus with riot police officers near the market. They were waiting for the order to attack.

– What is happening now?

– Everything has finished. The tax inspectors and police officers took that trader with them. All sellers closed their booths and went home. People are scared! They made people scared. I know it. My mother is a seller. I visited her at the market today. If tax inspectors arrive, sellers begin to close their booths to avoid confiscation and fines. Tax inspectors remained at the market, the rest people went home. They will open booths and seize goods, perhaps. People didn't allow them to do it.

– What are you impressions? Did you feel solidarity?

– I am very impressed. We'll finally showed them who we are. Maybe it was something like that before, but people were scared. This time, they asked directly “What are you doing?” When the first policemen came, people began to applaud and say “Save us from robbers” and showed at the tax inspectors. It was great! There was no aggression. People just wanted to know what was happening and why.