Belarus election: Women form 'solidarity chains' to condemn crackdown

[Eugene]

Source: BBC

Belarus election: Women form 'solidarity chains' to condemn crackdown

13 August 2020

Women have formed human chains in Belarus to condemn a crackdown on protests over the disputed election.

Many dressed in white and carried flowers as they called for an end to police brutality.

Unrest erupted after long-time leader Alexander Lukashenko was declared winner of Sunday's presidential election, in a vote condemned by the EU and US as neither free nor fair.

Thousands of people have been arrested and at least two have died.

In the latest official figures, the interior ministry said police had detained 700 people during protests on Wednesday, bringing the total number to 6,700.

-snip-

Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-53761747


Many women have been wearing white as they protest against the disputed election result and police violence (EPA)

[RainCaster]

1. The moms are at it again

The idea that women have power is spreading around the world.

[Wicked Blue]

2. Yes

And it's wonderful

[muriel_volestrangler]

3. 'We can only help ourselves': women in Belarus take protests into their own hands

On Friday evening, thousands of protesters descended on the Belarusian parliament, potentially setting the scene for a new show-down with riot police. As the demand for change intensifies and reaches even the factories that are the pride of Alexander Lukashenko’s neo-Soviet economy, the authoritarian ruler ends the week clinging on to power in defiance of an ever-broader coalition of opponents. But from the beginning, this has been an uprising inspired and led by women.
...
As shock turned to catharsis, Minsk on Thursday and Friday resembled a carnival, as large groups of women marched through the streets, and cars honking their horns in support provided a constant backdrop of noise. The riot police retreated and the authorities launched a belated strategy of half-hearted reconciliation.

Tikhanovskaya may now be out of the country, but her video appeal on Friday calling for protests over the weekend, combined with growing resolve among the protesters and the increasing number of striking factories, suggests the next days will be crucial.
...
But events in Minsk were moving fast, with crowds massing on Friday evening set to be the biggest demonstration yet, and uncertainty about how riot police will respond. A new demonstration planned for Sunday could be the biggest in the country’s history. Nobody really believes in the prospect of dialogue with the dictator, leaving a bloody crackdown or the sudden fall of the regime as the most likely outcomes.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/aug/14/women-belarus-take-protests-into-their-own-hands