Chernobyl Disaster Memorial Rally Held In Warsaw
3- 27.04.2025, 11:23
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The event took place against the backdrop of the monumental Palace of Culture and Science.
On April 26, a memorial rally was held at Parade Square in Warsaw to mark the 39th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster. The organizers of the event say that even nearly 40 years after the Chernobyl accident, Belarusians still have many reasons to speak out and not remain silent. “A new nuclear power plant was built against the will of the people, foreign nuclear weapons were brought into the country against the will of the people... And we come out to say 'No!' to this scenario,” Belsat reports.
This year, the organizers were unable to reach an agreement with the city authorities to hold a full-fledged march – the Chernobyl Way. On April 26, other political actions were scheduled in central Warsaw, and Belarusians were advised to organize the event in the form of a rally at Parade Square. Moreover, this day was declared a National Day of Mourning in Poland due to the funeral of Pope Francis.
According to one of the organizers of the Chernobyl event in Warsaw, Vasil Pleshkunou, the application for the rally was approved by the authorities only on the fourth attempt.
For this reason, the memorial rally dedicated to the 39th anniversary of the Chernobyl tragedy was small and intimate, especially since it took place against the backdrop of the monumental Palace of Culture and Science in Warsaw. People came with white-red-white flags. A black mourning ribbon fluttered on the flag attached to the loudspeaker.
“Lies Are the Root of All Evil”
Catholic priest Viachaslau Barok called for a minute of silence to honor the victims of the Chernobyl disaster. The bells rang. The crowd quieted down.
“Chernobyl in our consciousness became a symbol of the angel of death. It is a symbol of evil, something that humans cannot cope with in this world. The question arises: what is the source of this evil? Why did it become possible? … Someone quickly gives the wrong answer: the atom is to blame. No, dear friends! The atom is not the source of evil. The real atom, everything in it happens according to natural laws. The source of the evil in the Chernobyl disaster is the lie. The Chernobyl nuclear power plant was designed through lies, it was commissioned through lies, orders were given to increase the statistics through lies – for propaganda. Lies are the source of all evil!” said priest Viachaslau Barok in his speech.
“There would have been no Chernobyl disaster if there had been no lies in our hearts,” he added.
On the other hand, the speaker noted, “Chernobyl became one of the final nails in the coffin of the Soviet Union.” Therefore, we should not fear the future with its possible upheavals. If they come, we should hope that they will become more nails in “the coffin of that empire of evil, which today prevents us from living freely and breathing freely, both in Belarus and in the whole world.”
“We Will Fight for the Truth”
Pavel Latushka, the Deputy Head of the United Transitional Cabinet, also spoke about the lies that built the Soviet system during the rally.
“This once again underscores how important it is for us to build freedom of speech. After all, this is the only thing that can protect us from even more tragic consequences of terrible technological catastrophes,” Pavel Latushka remarked.
To prevent such tragedies in the future, the speaker added, it is very important that governments are formed by the people, elected democratically, “because only then will they be forced to talk to the people and tell them the truth.”
Latushka also mentioned the statement adopted by the Coordination Council on the occasion of the 39th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster.
“The Chernobyl tragedy became for Belarus not only an ecological, but also a political, social, and humanitarian problem requiring special attention and responsibility. It is a reminder that the truth must not be hidden from the people,” reads the Coordination Council’s statement.
Pavel Latushka recalled how many Belarusians gathered for the Chernobyl Way in the late 1990s in Minsk and other cities of the country.
“Maybe today we are few here in Warsaw. It’s a pity, we won’t hide that. But unfortunately, Lukashenka has extended his reach here too – he punishes people for their position, for their desire to speak the truth here. But what is important is that you came! I thank each of you. It is very important that we bring the truth to Belarus. I am convinced that the information about our meeting today will reach those people who went on the Chernobyl Way, for example, in 1996, and will warm, maybe in some way, their hearts,” summarized Pavel Latushka.
“Honor and respect to all those who eliminated the consequences of this terrible catastrophe! And we will continue to fight for the truth. For the truth is also responsibility. And Lukashenko will bear responsibility for the lies and for depriving us of the truth, for the crimes he commits!” Latushka added at the end of his speech.
“It Was an Intentional Murder of People”
The Acting Representative for National Revival of the United Transitional Cabinet of Belarus, Pavel Barkouski, noted in his speech that the cause of the disaster was not only the lie – “there were three horsemen of the Apocalypse.”
“An angel of death over Belarus.” In Warsaw, a memorial rally for the victims of the Chernobyl disaster was held.
On April 26, a memorial rally was held at Parade Square in Warsaw to mark the 39th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster. The organizers of the event say that even nearly 40 years after the Chernobyl accident...
“It is fear, the readiness to commit a crime, and cynicism. Because the authorities at that time were afraid of their people. They were afraid to say that they were guilty of the tragedy and that they should be held accountable for the technologies they used. And then it was an actual crime, when, in an attempt to eliminate the consequences of the catastrophe, the authorities started to disperse clouds over the territories of Belarus and Ukraine. It was an intentional murder of people. And then there was cynicism when the rulers, knowing exactly what had happened, decided that propaganda and ideology were more important than human lives. And they sent people to May Day demonstrations. Cynicism and crime in one package,” said Pavel Barkouski.
According to Barkouski, all of this remains a threat today, and nuclear energy is a “ticking time bomb.” This bomb could explode if the state “does not reliably control what is happening in the country.”
“There Are Two Tragedies in Belarus: Chernobyl and Lukashenka”
The leader of the Razam Solidarity Movement, Viachaslau Siuchyk, calls April 26 an “infernal day” (“There are two tragedies in Belarus – Chernobyl and Lukashenka”) and reminds that the Chernobyl Ways, which were held in Belarus, were not only victories but “also our defeats.”
“The defeat was that, despite all our protests, a nuclear power plant was built in Astravets. And this station was built for military purposes. The Astravets Nuclear Power Plant is, in essence, a Russian atomic bomb on the border with the European Union. Moscow has been preparing for war for 30 years, according to Lavrov. The station stands. It still threatens Belarusians and our neighbors,” said Viachaslau Siuchyk.
The politician calls on everyone to remember on this day the former heads of the Chernobyl Way organizing committee – members of the Belarusian Popular Front (BPF), Henadz Hrushevoi, Ivan Nikitchenka, and Yury Khadyka, who played a huge role at all stages. Especially in 1996, when the Chernobyl Way, as Siuchyk says, “showed Moscow that Belarus would not be easily dealt with, that Belarusians are a nation, that Belarus and Lukashenka are two different things.”
Viachaslau Siuchyk also recalls political prisoners – politician Pavel Seviarynets and the former leader of the now-defunct Belarusian party Greens, Zmitser Kuchuk, who were involved in organizing the Chernobyl Way in Belarus.
A resolution was adopted at the rally, dedicated to the 39th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster. It was read by the co-chairman of the Razam Solidarity Movement, Ales Makayeu. The authors of the resolution call on the Belarusian authorities, in particular, to cease and decommission the Astravets Nuclear Power Plant “as dangerous and unnecessary” and to return Belarus to a non-nuclear, neutral status. They also demand the release of environmental activists and other political prisoners, including participants in the anti-nuclear movement.
The document calls on the international community to qualify the deployment of nuclear weapons in Belarus as a violation of collective security principles. It also calls for solidarity with the Ukrainian people, who faced the nuclear threat during Russia’s military aggression.
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