May 1st Action News
On May 1st, on the day of remembrance of workers who died in the struggle for their rights, anarchists in various cities of Belarus conducted actions of agitation calling on the people of Belarus to strike and resist.
In Minsk, a 20 meter banner was hung from the roof of the houses along Pushkin Avenue: “Tired Of Being Hungry? The Solution Is To Strike!”
In Salihorsk, where workers recently went on strike, activists left graffiti that said: “Send Politicians Into The Mines”
In Brest, an anarchist group hung a banner, painted graffiti and distributed leaflets to Brest residents. A banner was also hung in the city of Byaroza.
In conditions where the government suppresses street protests in every possible way as soon as their power is threatened, it is worth remembering the method of struggle that can hit the authorities the hardest.
This method is going on strike. Refusing to work for this gang of oppressors and parasites, and being in different cities and in different industries, we will be able to show not just in words but with actions, that we are tired of injustice and poverty. (via Revolutionary Action)
DOZENS OF ANARCHISTS ARRESTED IN BELARUS AFTER ANTI-GOVERNMENT PROTESTS
Today in three major cities of Belarus – Minsk, Mogilev and Grodno – people took the streets protesting against government attempts to collect tax off the unemployed (details of the story HERE..in Belrusian). In Minsk, demonstrations managed to gather more than 1,500 people, in Mogilev and Grodno 1,000 each.
These are the biggest protests those cities have seen in decades. It is worth mentioning that most of the protesters are far from major political powers in the country and do not align with any opposition stream, rather they prefer to point out the hard economic conditions and results of 24 years of Lukashenko’s rule.
Around 40 anarchists, organized in a separate block, participated in the demonstration with banners saying “For the people, the main social parasites are the bureaucrats, politicians and the police” (referring to the law against social parasites introduced in 2015 that is the major reason for recent protests).
To make the demonstration a little bit more fun, a samba band in black joined the block. In the demo anarchists were by far the most organized force and received a lot of attention from the police.
During the whole demonstration, 20-30 civil cops were constantly following the anarchist block and at the end of the demo they tried to arrest some people. Anarchists together with other participants of the demo managed to unarrest people and get into public transport – a tactic that was quite successful in the past months, when anarchists managed to get away safely.
However it was stopped a couple of minutes later by a bus without license plates and civil cops rushing into the public transport. To get the people out , the pigs used not only brute force beating up people, but also pepper sprayed the trolleybus (an action one of the football hooligans got 10 years in jail for in Belarus just last week).
At the end of the confrontation, around 30-35 people were detained including several bystanders, who were trying to help people resist the police. By the end of the day, some activists were beaten up so badly that the cops had to call an ambulance.
Right now, all the arrested are in jail in Minsk police stations awaiting trial tomorrow. Judging from recent developments, most probably they will be punished with 15 days in jail.
Furthermore it has been reported that over 9 people from the demonstration were detained in Mogilev. Their destiny is not clear yet.
Lawyers and food parcels are covered so far by human right activists. But you can always support people with solidarity actions next to local embassies or Lukashenko’s mansions. Apart from that you can share the news, and make the topic more visible around you.
At the moment this article was written, over 150 people were detained and sentenced to fines or some short prison terms for protests in Belarus.
From Rojava to Belarus: Solidarity with the Anarchist Prisoners . IRPGF statement
- Posted on: 3 April 2017 By: Anonymous (not verified) via http://www.anarchistnews.org/
Aleksandr Lukashenko, for 24 years you have dominated the people of Belarus and using your oppressive state apparatuses inherited from the authoritarian Soviet past, you continued this perpetual nightmare for the people.
Since the 15th of March, you, and your parasites, the bureaucrats, the police and the snitches have unleashed a barbaric campaign of repression against the people of Belarus and especially the anarchists who fight for the liberation of all.Solidarity is the weapon of the people and as anarchists we are united in our struggle across all borders, fences and walls.
For these reasons, we are setting our sights on you.
On March 15 th , anarchists joined thousands of Belarusians who went to the streets in multiple cities to protest the decades of harsh economic and social conditions caused by 24 years of Lukashenko’s dictatorship. Anarchists at this protest organized a separate block unfurling banners which read “For the people, the main social parasite are the bureaucrats, politicians and the police.”
The anarchists were tailed by civil cops and after being followed and harassed, dozens were arrested. By the end of the day, over 100 people, including both anarchists and even bystanders were detained by the authorities.
Following those events, opposition groups, some of them liberal, nationalist and far-right, called for protests on March 25 th throughout Belarus. The government started a nationwide hunt for anarchists and opposition members. In one of the most widespread police crackdowns in decades, the government raided homes and detained dozens of anarchists.
Additionally, the regime mobilized a campaign of terror using the repressive power of the police and the media to curb all anarchist efforts to organize against the regime. Police and military units were dispatched to Minsk in one of the largest operation’s in post-Soviet Belarus.
Anarchists along with opposition groups and ordinary Belarusians marched through the streets to protest the ongoing state repression. The aftermath was the detention of over 100 people, many of them anarchists. In total, some estimate that over 1,000 people have been detained in Belarus in the recent events so far.
The IRPGF stands in solidarity with all the anarchists currently imprisoned, detained and injured from recent events. As anarchists ourselves, we see solidarity as the weapon of the people and reach out to you at this time of state repression to say that we are with you.
We see the dictatorship of Lukashenko as our enemy, as much as yours and we are ready, with weapons in our hands, to fight any state around the world.
FREEDOM FOR THE ANARCHISTS INPRISONED IN BELARUS
ABOLISH PRISONS, CAPITAL AND THE STATE!
MILITANT HORIZONTAL SELF-ORGANIZED COLLECTIVES & COMMUNITIES
FOR THE REVOLUTION AND ANARCHISM!
International Revolutionary People’s Guerrilla Forces
IRPGF via.. http://www.anarchistnews.org
The Free 