Yauhen Afnahel: We Look Forward To Seeing At Square Everyone Who Cares For Our Independence

On September 8, at 7 pm, the prevention rally will become a moment of truth for the Belarusians.

One of the BNC leaders, coordinator of the European Belarus civil campaign Yauhen Afnahel said that to the site of the Belarusian National Congress bnknews.org.

– Only one day is left before the prevention rally, announced by the Belarusian National Congress. What do you expect from it?

– September 8 is the Day of Belarusian military glory, the day when our ancestors showed how to fight for their freedom. We have reasons for celebration, and I expect to see everyone, who cares for this date, at the square tomorrow. I expect that there will be enough of us to show all the enemies of our country, wherever they are, that it has someone to protect it from them. I would like to take this opportunity and invite again all the activists of all the democratic organizations, all the patriots, all who cherish the independence of our homeland. We have only one Belarus and, unfortunately, now it is in danger.

Do not underestimate the threat we are facing. Georgians could hardly believe that the Kavkaz-2008 exercises would end with the occupation of a third of the territory of their country. Ukrainians could hardly think that the concentration of Russian troops into Rostov region and the Krasnodar Territory on the eve of the Olympics in Sochi would be the first step towards seizing the Crimea and the war in the Donbass. We must learn from other people's mistakes and show strength to a potential aggressor. After all, it's better to prevent the war than to participate in it. Therefore, I expect to see everyone who cares about independent Belarus at the square.

– Belarus can hardly be called independent today. Is there anything to fight for?

– Thousands of nations exist in the world and most of them, I think, envy the Belarusians. After all, we have our own state. Deprived of its historical symbolism and almost completely dependent on the neighbor, but still it’s a state. Belarusians do not yet fight for other people's interests, do not perish in hot spots, revive their language, honor their traditions and national heroes. They go to peaceful protests. Ukrainians and Tatars cannot afford such a thing in the occupied Crimea.

We have something to fight for. If we keep safe our country today, tomorrow we will be able to achieve changes ourselves.

– Why do you think that a peaceful protest rally will stop a potential aggressor?

– Official propaganda in any undemocratic country is a double-edged weapon. It affects not only the residents, but the authorities as well.

In the course of time, the USSR leaders began to believe their own propaganda so much that they stopped paying attention to the real moods of people. The result was that "the Evil Empire" collapsed within days.

Putin believed his own propaganda and believed that the Ukrainians were waiting for him with open arms that he would occupy not only Sevastopol, but Kiev, Kharkov, Odessa without firing a single shot. They pointed out his error, but by that time it had been dearly paid for.

Today is the moment of truth for the Belarusians. The demonstration of readiness to fight for independence and memory of guerrilla traditions of Belarusians can cool hotheads in the Russian leadership. And then we will stay a peaceful neutral country, as it is written in our Constitution.

Otherwise – and Moscow should understand this – we will have to defend Belarus in a different way.