Chernobyl Way Took Place In Minsk (Video, Online)

The participants of th eaction demande dto stop the construction of the Belarusian NPP.

On the 32rd anniversary of the Chernobyl catastrophe, the annual action Chernobyl Way, in memory of the victims of the accident at the Chernobyl NPP and its consequences, was held in Minsk.

The action was sanctioned by the Minsk city executive committee. The gathering of participants started at 6 pm at the ground near the Kastrychnik movie theater ("Academy of Sciences" metro station), then the people marched to the Chernobyl Chapel in the People's Friendship Park, where the demostration took place.

The website Charter97.org presented live text coverage of the action. The video materials were provided by Radio Liberty and Belsat.

20.32 The action is over. Thank you for staying with us!

20.31 Pavel Seviarynets announces the end of the action and invites everyone to the Astravets Way, the nearest action in the framework of which is scheduled on May 26 in Zaslaul.

20.30 Participants of the rally lay flowers and light a lamp.

20.29 People are chanting "Long Live Belarus!"

20.28 People sing the anthem "God Almighty".

20.27 The participants of the action vote for the resolution.

20.23 "We demand that the authorities: immediately stop the construction of nuclear power plants in Belarus, develop an energy security strategy, stop the development of Chernobyl lands, return social benefits to those affected by the Chernobyl disaster, stop political repression, ensure freedom of speech and assembly, fair elections".

20.22 Pavel Seviarynets is reading out the resolution of the Chernobyl Way-2018.

20.20 The people are chanting "No to Astravets NPP!"

20.17 Ihar Lialkou: "In 1986, the Communists pursued a policy of killing our people and destroying our lands. And Lukashenka's regime continues this policy. The regime lies to us. The regime opens here a Russian nuclear bomb of a delayed action. We must stop this madness. That is why we start the Astravets Way. The next action is scheduled on May 26 in Zaslaul".

20.15 Chairman of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party Ihar Barysau is speaking: "The problem of Chernobyl is a political problem. And the second Chernobyl, Astravets, is the same. Why doesn't our government raise an issue of compensation of the consequences of the Chernobyl catastrophe by Russia?"

20.13 The people are chanting "No to Astravets NPP!"

20.12 Volha Kavalkova is speaking. "Before building something, the authorities must ask us, whether we want it, whether we permit it. Our men in Homel region live less than their retirement age. We should stop the construction of the Belarusian NPP, the more of us stand against it, the more chances we have - no to Astravets NPP!"

20.11 Ryhor Kastusiou is speaking: " We need to speak about the problems of Astravets, Brest and Svetlahorsk loudly to the authorities, or we will be dying slowly. Let us not allow hushing down these problems!"

20.10 The people are chanting "No to NPPs in Belarus!"

20.04 Tatsiana Novikava is speaking: "Only 32 years have passed since the Chernobyl disaster. Millions of people were affected by it. And remains unknown how many will suffer. The consequences will not be overcome, because it is impossible to remove radioactive isotopes in 30 years. Now the government is building a new Chernobyl, without asking the consent of either citizens or neighboring countries. The first power unit was built without technical documentation. They dropped the reactor, hit the second one, people died at the construction site. Recently there was a fire. Tell us for how long will we remain silent? We have only one year left. I invite everyone to the Astravets Way. The 26th of each month. In a year our children will not be able to come to Lake Narach, because the nuclear power plant in accident-free mode throws out the isotopes of tritium and iodine, which can not be extracted from the water, there's a year left".

20.01 Activists from Svetlahorsk could not come to Minsk as they were detained by the police. Their appeal to the participants of the demonstration is being read out on their behalf.

19.57 Activist from Biaroza Aliaksandr Kabanau is speaking: "I never used to go deep in the ecological issues before. However, what is happening in our country certainly makes it clear that they are turning Belarus into the country of waste, the waste deposit. Brest residents say: disaster came to our city. They are going to fuze lead nearby, this is one of the most dangerous industires. On Sundaym there will be a demonstration in Brest at 12.00 called "Women against lead". Please come and join! Otherwise, there will be Brest Way and Astravets Way adding up to the Chernobyl Way."

19.52 Ivan Vitkouski, liquidator from Naroulia: "I'm not a hero, I just struggled with the consequences of the accident. Earlier I could at least be treated in a sanatorium, had some kind of communal benefits, then they started to take them away. I can tell you: the power has ruined our land as it once was. There's nothing left. Where does the money allocated for overcoming the consequences of the Chernobyl accident go? The chief liquidator came, drank milk - you have everything here clean. You come more than once, and all the time try to drink milk! Do not fly by helicopter, but talk to people! Why did you take the benefits from me? You cannot do this to people. We are building a new station - it will be the all the same again. "

19.47 Father Vikenciy of the Belarusian Autocephalous Orthodox Church is speaking: "Once upon a time, Moses brought his people out from under the authority of the pharaohs to the promised land. And we have land, we just need to find freedom and independence for it. "

19.46 Francishak Rodz, the priest-canon of the Minsk-Mahiliou diocese, is speaking: "All catastrophes are hidden in us," - the priest quotes Yevtushenko as saying. "A peaceful atom can bring huge tragedies that change the lives of generations. We must remember that man was not created as an absolute master of the world, but as a being responsible for the environment. May God protect us from tragedies like Chernobyl "

19.45 Pavel Seviarynets has announced the start of the demonstration.

19.44 The activists of the Mothers' Movement 328 are letting black and green balloons to the sky.

19.43 About 500 people have gathered near the Chapel for a demonstration.

19.42 Environmental activists do not go into the fence - they are rolling the reactor model on the ground, hitting it and assuring everything is "okay" with it.

19.40 The head of the column passed through the fences near the Chernobyl Chapel in the park at the Bangalore Square.

19.37 A young man carries a poster "The Way Can Be Different". "Belarus has enough alternative energy sources. You have to go to the action, so that you do not feel ashamed before your children. We know 2 examples of nuclear power plants built in which fuel was not loaded. Therefore, it is not known what will happen to our nuclear power plant - it means it makes sense to resist and fight to the end, " - the participant of the rally said.

19.36 The people are chanting "Stop fearing, time to resist!", "No to NPPs in Belarus!", "Your silence means yes!" and "No money for wages - budget has gone to NPP".

19.34 The cars signal in support of the participants of the action. Sometimes people come out of the cars and join the action.

19.27 Some participants, mostly activists of environmental movements, came in creative outfits - Belarusian NPP staff, chemical protection suits, some carry gas masks. A girl in the raccoon suit is also noticed. "We need to come out on the streets more than once - then it will be useful. I want the authorities to hear us, understand that there are environmental and other problems in the country, " - says a young man with a gas mask.

19.26 The McDonald's in the Bangalore Square is closed "due to technical reasons". Herein, there are people inside.

19.24 Father Vikenciy from the Belarusian Autocephalous Orthodox Church: "Belarusians should understand where they are, under which power, and find strength to step on their own path. Chernobyl was a challenge sent for the Belarusians to make conclusions. Our country was Christian and civilized, when there was Orda in Russia. We should remember it," - the priest said.

19.21 People are chanting "Long live Belarus!" and "No to nuclear power plants in Belarus!"

19.20 An activist of the Mothers' Movement 328 says that they came to the action to announce about the beginning of the hunger strike from tomorrow. About 20 people will take part in it.

19.18 The participants of the rally are chanting "Stop fearing, time to resist!", "No money for wages, the budget has gone to the NPP"

19.17 Activists of the Mothers' Movement 328 are taking part in the action. They have come with green and black balloons.

19.12 Many new people are taking part in the action, they came to the march for the first time.

19.10 A young participant of the action: "Lukashenka doesn't have any idea how the Belarusian NPP would help the economy out. What is the point of building it then? To quarrel with Lithuania?"

19.06 The march is growing in numbers. People join the action.

19.05 A youngster came to the action with the Armenian flag. "Now there is a meme on the Internet: do you want it to be like in Ukraine? - no, I want it to be like in Armenia," - the young participant of the rally hinted at the velvet revolution in Armenia.

19.04 People are chanting "Long Live Belarus!"

19.02 The procession is approaching the Bangalore Square.

19.01 Barys Anikeyeu: "I came here with the Belarusian and Ukrainian flags, because both peoples suffered from Chernobyl. And Ukraine could have opposed the Astravets nuclear power plant more consistently now. Because it's pure politics, not just energy. "

19.00 People are chanting "Astravets is the second Chernobyl!" and "Long Live Belarus!"

18.59 Nina Bahinskaya: "We need to defend our nation, and our land was polluted by Chernobyl. Communists kept silence and the people walked on the radioactive land, ate polluted food. What has changed now? Nothing. Moscow wants to force its radioactive product upon us, the Astravets NPP. Also, we have a spiritual Chernobyl here. There hasn't been such Russification even at the times of the USSR. Since they torn the national flag and the "Pahonia" coat-of-arms off the House of Government, the Russification only deepened."

18.54 Environmental activist Uladzimir Valodzin: "A problem of storing radioactive waste occurred in Belarus. We have a situation when the country is in huge debt because of the Belarusian NPP construction. And the station will not solve these problems with debts, let alone that it is an ecological threat."

18.50 Cars are signalling in support of the participants of the action.

18.49 Many young people are taking part in the action, including BNC activist Grettha Sabaleuskaya.

18.48 The people are chanting "We believe, we can, we shall win!"

18.47 Activist from the Homel region Barys Anikeyeu came to the action with the Ukrainian flag.

18.42 About 500 people are participating in the action.

18.40 Environmentalist Tatsyana Novikava: "The authorities are scaring the people and the international community by building this Belarusian NPP. This is a road to nowhere. They put us into a power dependence, a blackout may occur any moment. They drop the reactor, fires happen, and we don't even know what kind of concrete they casted there. The construction in Astravets is one big problem for Belarusians."

18.39 Activists of the Green Party keep dropping the reactor model during the rally, telling the journalists: everything's okay, nothing happened, we'll put it back and it will work.

18.38 Ryhor Kastusiou: "The authorities don't care about the Chernobyl problem. I visited the evacuation zone this year. People live there, grow groceries in their gardens, feed their children. For the authorities, these people simply do not exist. There are many such chernobyls here - Astravets, and the Chinese plant in Svetlahorsk.

18.36 The column is marching along the Independence Avenue.

18.35 Viachaslau Siuchyk: "The authorities are afraid of our every take on to the street. Therefore, such actions should be carried out so that people are used to coming out. This is what the authorities are most afraid of. I will always participate in the Chernobyl Way."

18.33 The Chernobyl Bell sounds. Chairman of the Belarusian Popular Front Ryhor Kastusiou has announced the beginning of the action.

18.32 "I come from the Chernobyl zone, I was born in Mazyr, and felt it all by myself. Chernobyl can be repeated because of the Belarusian NPP, " - says one of the protesters.

18.31 At the head of the column, besides traditional posters with Chernobyl themes, there are also 2 banners with the demand to "Freeze the construction of luxury apartments in Drazdy."

18.30 The people are carrying the Chernobyl Bell and the Mother of God icon in the forefront of the column.

18.29 The column started moving by the planned route alongside the Independence Avenue.

18.28 Pavel Seviarynets: "This action will put a start to the Astravets Way which will end in Astravets in November. In this month, nuclear fuel will be delivered to the NPP. We believe that this is a Russian nuclear bomb on the border between Belarus and Lithuania."

18.23 A priest of the Belarusian Autocephalous Orthodox Church has come to the action. "Let us pray so that Fukushima does not repeat in Belarus," - the priest says.

18.19 Many participants of the action wear badges "Astravets - Chernobyl - Fukushima." "The construction in Astravets should be stopped," - says the participant of the action with such a badge.

18.18 Several hundred people have gathered near the Kastrychnik movie theater.

18.17 Vital Rymasheuski: "This Chernobyl Way is different in that the regions will also host the events of the "Astravets Way" cycle, from Miadzel to Astravets, in order to draw attention to the anti-nuclear theme. This topic will be actively raised until the fall. "

18.15 About 200 people have gathered in the place of the action's start.

18.13 Environmental activist wearing the chemical protection suit Khrystsina Charniauskaya: "It's time to tell that we don't need the Belarusian NPP. There are more secure technologies. Time to act. They will launch the nuclear power station next year. We cannot let it happen. The Belarusian NPP is not only the problem of the environmentalists, but of all Belarusian people." She is holding a poster "Time To Act'.

18.06 Activists dressed as staff of the Astravets NPP are holding a performance: they drop the reactor saying nothing has happened.

18.00 Dozens of white-red-white flags have been hoisted, along with the "Chernobyl Way" banner. The activists of the Green party brought the model of the Belarusian NPP's reactor vessel, with the inscription "It fell all by itself" on it.

17.56 On the other side of the Independence Avenue, near the Kastrychnik movie theater, the participants of the sanctioned action are gathering. The banner of the BPF party has been unfolded. The representative of the BPF Aliaksei Yanukevich has come. Several dozen people have gathered.

17.54 The activists are standing on the stairs near the Academy of Sciences. The action is allowed on the opposite side of the avenue. The police approached them saying the action is not permitted here.

17.53 Volha Nikalaichyk is holding the portrait of Mikhail Zhamchuzhny. "There's spiritual Chernobyl in our country. We want to remind about it," - the activist says.

17.52 Maksim Viniarski is holding the portrait of Sviataslau Baranovich. "We are here to show that our action is peaceful. We want to remind there are political prisoners in the country."

17.50 Activists Maksim Viniarski, Volha Nikalaichyk, Leanid Kulakou and others have gathered near the Academy of Sciences. They are holding portraits of political prisoners.