Thousands of Belarus protesters defy risk
MINSK: Tens of thousands of opposition supporters marched through Minsk on Sunday, calling for an end to strongman Alexander Lukashenko’s rule amid a heavy security presence and despite dozens of arrests.
Protests in Belarus have entered a third week since the disputed presidential election on August 9 in which Mr Lukashenko claimed victory.
Opposition rival Svetlana
Tikhanovskaya says she was the real winner. Local media estimated that more than 100,000 people attended Sunday’s protest, equalling the scale of rallies on previous weekends, the largest in the country since independence from the former USSR.
A crowd gathered outside Mr Lukashenko’s official residence, the Palace of Independence, which was guarded by riot police and special forces personnel backed up by rooftop snipers.
Sunday’s rally came on Mr Lukashenko’s 66th birthday and protesters carried quirky handmade “gifts” including a cardboard toilet with a sign urging the leader to flush himself away. Presidential aide Nikolai Latyshenok came out to speak to protesters, but insisted Mr Lukashenko would not negotiate with the opposition.
A Telegram messenger channel linked to Mr Lukashenko’s press service posted a picture of him in a bulletproof vest holding a gun, and said it was taken at the palace as protesters were outside.
A German government spokesman said on Sunday they would summon the Belarus ambassador to the foreign ministry to protest the move. Reporters covering the protests have been held and police have confiscated property.