BELARUSALERT – DAY 29
Date: 7 September 2020
March of Unity in Minsk, protests also in other cities
More than 100,000 people took part in the March of Unity, which took place on September 6 in Minsk, on the central street of the city – the Prospectus of the Winners. This is another Sunday’s mass protest after the falsified presidential election. The authorities mobilized large forces of OMON and militia, heavy equipment was brought to the city center and blockades were set up. A particularly strong perimeter was established around the presidential palace, towards which the protesters marched. Furthermore, the authorities tried to disrupt communication – on their orders, Internet operators had to reduce the speed of data transmission. At least tens of thousands of people reached the palace. When the demonstrators began to disperse and small groups of people remained opposite to the cordon of security forces, arrests began. When one of such groups of people took refuge in a café, plainclothes officers smashed the glasses in windows and doors of the premises. They were commanded by one of the high police officers. Violent arrests, including those of minors, occurred in Grodno. The militia were to use tear gas there. “Over 100 people were detained during the protest action on Sunday,” said the Belarusian Ministry of Interior. The Viasna Center informs about at least 193 detainees in Minsk alone. There were also arrests in Grodno (about 30 people), Brest, Baranovichi, Mogilev and Vitebsk (over 10 people).
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