Belarus Police detain demonstrators as thousands protest at 'people’s inauguration' rally

On September 27, tens of thousands demonstrators flooded the streets in a “people’s inauguration of the real president” Tikhanovskaya rally, voicing support of opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya in Belarus. Police detained about 200 people, as the masked officers in riot gear fired stun grenades and tear has to disperse the mob, and dragged scores of demonstrators into the van, as protesters chanted slogans such as “imposter”, “Sveta is our president” through the roads of Minsk with white and red opposition flags. 

According to an AP report, the protesters demanded the authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko's ouster for the 50th consecutive day into the seventh week after reports of his “secretly staged” inauguration emerged. Wearing t-shirts that ridiculed the leader, the protesters brandished slogan carved swords, and Belarusian flags, disputing Lukashenko's sixth term as they clashed with the security forces.

While the Belarusian leader denied electoral fraud, condemnation erupted from the European Union, the US, UK and many other countries, including France as French President Emmanuel Macron said in a press that Lukashenko must “step down”. “Lukashenko must go,” France’s leader asserted, citing the humanitarian crisis at the civilian's protests. Macron said in a state televised conference that in Belarus, there was a power crisis in Belarus with an authoritarian administration that is not able to accept the logic of democracy. 

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In response to Emmanuel Macron’s press, Belarus President said in state media, “I want to say that the president of France himself, following his own logic, should have resigned two years ago — when yellow vests had first begun going out in the streets of Paris,” AP quoted Lukashenko referring to the French protest movement.

Protests across nine cities

Protests were held across nine cities as citizens vented fury and angst at their President’s 26 years in power. In a statement, the Interior Ministry of Belarus said that as many as 200 demonstrators were arrested as the mob turned aggressive, The police and the armed forces blocked off the center of the city with armored vehicles and water cannons. Protesters marched over a two-kilometer-long (over a mile-long) stretch with placards, that read rebukes such as “the “naked king” and “traitor”.

“Democracy is the power of the people. The entire people are stronger than one man,” AP quoted Lukashenko's main election opponent, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya as saying. 

However, according to sources of the Associated Press agency, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Lukashenko's main election opponent, hailed the protests and encouraged the mob’s determination. “Today is the 50th day of our protest and the Belarusian people have again come out on the streets,” AP quoted Tsikhanouskaya as saying.  “We have come to stop this regime and we will do this peacefully,” she added. 

[Police detain a protester during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk.]

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(Images Credit and Input from AP)