100 Years of Independence of Belarus and its Main Threat
2018 for Belarusians is saturated with various events. One such event is the recent elections of some of the most useless people in the government – deputies.
In addition, events will take place within a year which will affect the future of the country and its citizens.
Today I will tell you about events that deserve attention.
100 Years BPR (Belarusian of the People's Republic) – Freedom Day
The first symbols of independence of Belarus were A white-red-white flag and a coat of arms under the name "persecution". They were introduced exactly 100 years ago. Together with their adoption, the Belarusian People’s Republic declared independence from Russia. Soon after this, the Soviet Union was established. Belarus was a part of it. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Belarus regained its independence in 1991. But all this changed with the advent of Lukashenko's seizure of power in 1996.
He has made attempts to change the flag and the coat of arms of the country. In addition, he imposed a different ideology on people. It is very similar to the ideology of socialism. Lukashenko has let the people know that he doesn't recognize the history of the BPR and doesn't believe in the history of Belarus. If one goes deep into the history of his statements, then it is clear to see where he takes inspiration from. In one of his interviews, Lukashenko took an example of the ideology promoted by Adolf Hitler. He has been critized severely by the West. As a result, Lukashenka called the evidence of these events false.
Terrible fact: In a recent German television show, German viewers took Lukashenka for Hitler. The Germans saw Lukashenko at the parade and thought that this was a video clip of Hitler. A screen shot can be seen here.
Using a flag and the coat of arms of BPR is illegal. For the use of such historical symbols, people go to prison. «Жыве Беларусь!» (in translation - Long Live Belarus!). Unfortunately, it is unsafe to utter these words. For such words, you can get a fine or get thrown into jail. In the past, any celebration of Freedom Day was illegal. But the authorities gave permission this year to hold Freedom Day.
Why has the government allowed carrying out of this holiday?
Political scientists argue that in this way the authorities are trying to create a sense of stability in society. There are opinions that this is a cunning way to lower the "degree of popular discontent" before a new referendum.
We Do What We Want
- Alexander Lukashenko - source
In general, the holiday has taken place perfectly. But, as always in Belarus – it wasn't without detentions. According to human rights activists about 120 people were detained.
Despite the danger of being detained by the police, about 50 thousand people celebrated the holiday. There were people of different ages and professions at the festival. Most likely, this is the last time the authorities will allow the public to celebrate Freedom Day.
Belarusians living in other countries also contributed to this holiday. For example, in the city of Warsaw (Poland), Freedom Day was celebrated with a festive rally and procession. Belarusians living in other countries do not forget their history.
What Did the International Media See of Freedom Day 2018?
State-run television channels did not report the celebration of the BPR's 100th anniversary and the events that took place on that day. What did the Russian and Western media report about Freedom Day?
The American newspaper The New York Times reported on Freedom Day - 2018 with the title "The Opposition Rally in Minsk Ended in Arrests." The article gathers information about police detention of people from the opposition.
Similar information was shared by the publication The Guardian, The Independent and ABC News. In their article, they focused on the detentions of activists. The Guardian noted that the authorities allowed a festive concert in order not to anger people and not to spoil relations with the West.
Euronews called Freedom Day "the most massive opposition speech of recent years". They made a small video "Freedom day with detentions". They also did a separate investigation. This is the investigation of the insider's program. It was shown live. I advise you to look.
Deutsche Welle released a big report entitled "Freedom day in Minsk was not perfect". They stressed that the rally-concert near the Opera Theater is the largest mass event in Belarus for the last 20 years.
Information resource "The Russian service of the BBC" has released a video, in which there are frames of detentions and celebration. Their answer to the question: "Why does Lukashenko allow the celebration of Freedom Day?" They answered, "He is afraid of the threat from Moscow."
Various Russian publications have written about the celebration of Freedom Day. For example, the newspaper Russia Today said its opinion was that the authorities support such rallies so as not to provoke the population.
According to the opinion of foreign media, the situation in Belarus remains unstable. Authorities distract the attention of the population to conceal what is happening in the country. Now Lukashenko needs a stable and peaceful society. He intends to hold another referendum.
Long Live the King! - A Change in the Constitution for the President
In early April 2018, the government announced the beginning of preparations for a general referendum. This referendum is a process in which voting is held in favor of changing individual paragraphs of the constitution. As there are no elections in Belarus, it becomes clear to everyone that this referendum is just an expensive show. The head of the Central Election Commission said that the preparation of the referendum will take no more than 70 days.
This is not the first referendum. Lukashenka used this method earlier to strengthen his power.
What are they going to change? This information is kept secret. According to old leaked information, they plan to strengthen the power of the president. In fact, he will increase his term of office and become a monarch. In reality, latent changes are possible. Thus, the dictatorship will become stronger at the legislative level.
Independent and forbidden resource "Belsat" believes that after the referendum Lukashenka will be a «super king». The country will become more like North Korea.
In the city of Minsk, a survey of ordinary citizens was conducted. Journalists learned the opinion of residents about the upcoming referendum. The view was unequivocal, people do not want Lukashenka to change the constitution. But the dictator is not interested in the people's opinions. He has his own interests.
This year promises to be interesting. We will follow the developments.
Authored by: Belarus Insider
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