There Will Be Much More Of Us One Day

Coming out to the streets, such as yesterday, is a critical element in the fight against dictatorship.

The disappointment about the fact that hundreds of thousands of Belarusians stayed at home and did not come out to the yesterday’s March seems understandable. Nevertheless, there’s no need to make a drama out of this. The fact that hundreds of people have overcome fear is an important victory, one more step towards liberation from the dictatorship. This victory is even more valuable given the fact that on the eve of the March the authorities used new methods of intimidation.

As history teaches us, dictatorships are defeated step by step in a debilitating struggle. It never happens any other way. It would be a dangerous illusion to believe that the dictator-killer's totalitarian regime can be destroyed by one march or one strike. For example, EuroMaidan took three months, and most importantly, Ukrainians paid an incredibly high price for their freedom: 104 people were killed, although the conditions for the opposition were incomparably more favorable, and Yanukovych's pseudo-democratic regime was much softer, simply vegetarian, compared to Lukashenka's dictatorship.

Do not be offended by those who were afraid to come out now. The reality in Belarus is such that each coming out to the street is a risk for themselves and for their loved ones. The loss of job, study, a large monetary penalty, arrests – this is far from a complete list of possible personal consequences of political protest in Belarus. Nevertheless, the spring of 2017 showed that the people hate Lukashenka. The regime holds solely and only on fear. Therefore, new mass protests are simply unavoidable.

Coming out to the streets, such as yesterday, is a critical element in the fight against dictatorship. First, there will be many more protesters one day; we just do not know exactly when the date will come. Secondly, and most importantly, values are more important than numbers. Many thanks to everyone who was not afraid to come out to the March yesterday. You are real heroes and can be proud of yourself. What you did yesterday is very important. You showed that there are Belarusians who stand against the humiliating decree #3; you showed that there are Belarusians who are not indifferent about the death of children in the Belarusian army; finally, you showed that there are Belarusians who are not afraid to demand the resignation of Lukashenka.

Dzianis Kazakevich, Facebook