© Courtesy TYT.byThe protest at BelAZ
Workers at some of Belarus' biggest manufacturers, including automaker BelAZ, have called for strikes to protest over the results of a controversial election and subsequent crackdown on opposition by the country's government.
A group of BelAZ workers staged a protest at the company plant near the capital Minsk, a Sputnik correspondent reported from the scene. They wanted the entire plant to go on a strike in response to a continued crackdown on anti-government activists in Belarus. Others gathered for a separate rally outside the plant to support the demonstration of the workers.
Footage of the rally showed dozens of angry demonstrators decrying the violence used by Belarusian law enforcement against anti-government protesters. They chanted
"Go away!" - a slogan directed by the opposition at the country's freshly re-elected president.
Management at BelAZ downplayed the protest, saying it amounted to nothing more than a meeting between them and the workers, who wanted their demands to be heard.
In addition to managers, the workers had drawn the attention of the mayor of Zhodino, where BelAZ manufacturing lines are located. His office drew some flak after borrowing buses owned by the plant and allowing the police to use them to crack down on protests in the city.
Similar worker protests were reported on Thursday at other major plants across the country, including construction materials manufacturer Keramin, fertilizer producer Grodno Azot, car maker MAZ, and others. Demonstrators at one such event in the city of Mogilev denounced the outcome of last weekend's presidential election, protesting that most of those present had voted for the opposition candidate.
The Belarus opposition media was quick to describe the events as a much-anticipated national strike that will put pressure on the government.
Anti-government sentiment escalated in Belarus after last Sunday's presidential election, which officially resulted in a landslide victory for incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko. The opposition insists the vote was rigged and has staged protests, demanding a new fair vote or, occasionally, for the president to concede defeat.
Belarusian law enforcement responded to the protests with force, which many observers believe to have been unjustified. At least two protesters have been reported killed amid the turmoil, while some 6,000 were taken into custody in recent days.
Belarus police also arrested local and international journalists covering the developments, adding credibility to accusations of abuse of power raised by the opposition.
Lukashenko on Wednesday remained adamant, dismissing protesters as a bunch of jobless troublemakers and criminals who threaten the public order in Belarus. The long-serving Belarusian leader had earlier claimed that foreign forces had orchestrated and funded the turmoil with the aim of ousting him.
After three days of the heavy-handed response, anti-government action doesn't seem to be subsiding in Belarus and, in fact, may be escalating.
Comment: Tensions continue to mount as more Belarusians are
caught up in the unrest. One police officer was reported to be run over. RT reports:
Despite peaceful protests highlighting the fourth day of post-election turmoil, violence has hardly subsided. A video has emerged purporting to show riot police in Minsk opening fire on an apartment block as they chased protesters on the ground. Witnesses report that officers aimed their weapons at the building's windows after residents sought to help the demonstrators to dodge arrest.
As night approached, clashes erupted with sounds of loud bangs, reportedly from concussion grenades, roaring through the city.
The police chief has
apologized for civilian injuries and is pleading with citizens to stay home:
"I offer apologies for the injuries of random people who got caught up in the dispersal," Interior Minister Yuri Karayev said in a televised interview on Thursday. He noted that rioters have attacked law enforcement 11 times over the past three days.
The interior minister also said he would prioritize the release of journalists that have been jailed in the roundups of demonstrators.
At least two protesters have died and more than 6,000 people have been arrested in the four days of the unrest. Videos shared online suggest that efforts to disperse the demonstrations have involved SWAT units being set loose on protesters as well as liberal use of rubber bullets, flash-bang grenades and tear gas.
Lukashenko has accused foreign governments - specifically Poland, Czechia and the UK - of fomenting a "color revolution" in Belarus, which Prague and Warsaw have denied.
UPDATE 14/08/2020: Strike action continues
to spread across the country:
The march on Friday comes amid a wave of anti-government protests in Belarus. The plant, also known by the abbreviation MTZ, is one of the biggest employers in the Belarus capital, giving jobs to some 15,000 people. A significant part of the staff took to the streets of Minsk chanting "Leave" to incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko and calling on workers from other plants to join them.
Angela Merkel and European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen
pressured Lukashenko to release arrested protesters, or face sanctions.
Which Lukashenko, in a bid to
lower tensions did:
More than 2,000 people who were detained during mass protests over the contested presidential elections in Belarus over recent days have been released, the country's Interior Ministry has said.
However, around 4,700 people are still being held by the country's law enforcement.
In the Belarusian capital city of Minsk, the release of protesters began early in the morning, attracting a crowds of supporters to the detention center. The crackdown on protests had triggered widespread allegations of torture behind bars, while some of the detained said they were beaten up by riot police, but not mistreated in detention.
However, Lukashenko remains defiant, declaring he is still the duly-elected president of Belarus and
reminding the strikers of the negative economic impact of their actions, should the strikes continue:
While seemingly downplaying the consequences of the protests, the Belarus government has acknowledged the potential damage that worker discontent may inflict on the country's economy. President Alexander Lukashenko, the main target of the protest, warned that even short strikes at factories will play into the hands of the competition.
"If [workers at potassium producer Belaruskali] go for a two-day strike, the competitors in Russia and Canada will make a cross sign and supply to the market everything they want," the president said during a government meeting on Friday. The plant is among those where protest rallies have been reported.
The Belarusian president reacted to the pressure from the opposition, grimly joking at the meeting that he was "still alive" and had not fled the country, despite the wishes of his critics. He reiterated that the core of the protest consisted of rent-a-mob activists, and that honest wage-earners had better things to do than joining them. Lukashenko touts himself as a leader of the working people, and ensuring their prosperity and losing their support would seriously damage his image.
Meanwhile his main opponent in the election
Svetlana Tikhanovskay, who "fled" to Lithuania amid rumors of an assassination plot, called for an end to the violence. She still maintained the election had been stolen from her, even though she garnered
only 10% of the vote:
She appealed to city mayors to "act as organizers" of peaceful demonstrations on Saturday and Sunday.
Tikhanovskaya repeated the claim that the election victory has been stolen from her, citing "copies of polling station protocols" as proof.
"Belarusians will not want to live under the existing authorities ever again. The majority does not believe in [Lukashenko's] victory," she said.
The politician urged her supporters to "defend their vote" by signing an online petition demanding a full recount of the votes with "independent" monitors present, and to launch an official probe into the election.
Tikhanovskaya left for Lithuania after President Alexander Lukashenko was re-elected for a sixth term in office last week. His victory sparked accusations of vote-rigging and triggered protests and clashes with police throughout the country.
The authorities, meanwhile, insist that the vote count was fair. Lukashenko claimed that the protests were being incited from abroad, and vowed not to allow further rioting and escalation.
Comment: Tensions continue to mount as more Belarusians are caught up in the unrest. One police officer was reported to be run over. RT reports: The police chief has apologized for civilian injuries and is pleading with citizens to stay home: UPDATE 14/08/2020: Strike action continues to spread across the country: Angela Merkel and European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen pressured Lukashenko to release arrested protesters, or face sanctions.
Which Lukashenko, in a bid to lower tensions did: However, Lukashenko remains defiant, declaring he is still the duly-elected president of Belarus and reminding the strikers of the negative economic impact of their actions, should the strikes continue: Meanwhile his main opponent in the election Svetlana Tikhanovskay, who "fled" to Lithuania amid rumors of an assassination plot, called for an end to the violence. She still maintained the election had been stolen from her, even though she garnered only 10% of the vote: