European March: Chronicle

11-10 Our activists report, military police is concentrated near the National Academy of Sciences. Near the Sports Palace on Peramozhtsy Avenue one can observe a big number of fence constructions guarded by several police cars.

11-30. Road police stops cars with activists traveling to Minsk from the regions, on all highways leading to the capital. Cars are detained on different grounds: suspicions of a stolen car, or bad technical state.

12-20. “Beltelecom” state company blocks web-sites milinkevich.org, charter97.org, and belaruspartisan.org . Independent information web-sites are likely to be blocked soon as well.

13-15. In some yards of the Academy of Sciences one may observe buses with curtained windows. Suspicious people of certain looks and behavior are walking around. Radio Racyja reports the same information.

13-25. Subway stations “Kastrychnitskaya” and “Academy of Sciences” are open. About a hundred people gathered near Kastrychnitskaya station. Belarusian and foreign reporters can be noticed in the crowd. Buses # 100 going to the center are overcrowded. On Marx Street there are three empty buses, and a police officer on duty near them, Nasha Niva reports.

13-50. About 150 people stand near the Academy of Sciences. New people are coming all the time from the avenue. Subway stations “Kastrychnitskaya” and “Academy of Sciences” are open.    About 200 people gathered near “Kastrychnitskaya” subway station. Foreign diplomats appeared. Belarusian and foreign journalists are present as well. Buses # 100 going to the center are overcrowded. About several hundred people gathered near the circus (“Nasha Niva”).

14-15 A column of demonstrators from the center is peacefully walking on the sidewalks to the Academy of Sciences. Police are not seen anywhere. Now the column (about 2500 people) is near the circus. The road police warns the people not to leave the sidewalks. New people are joining the demonstration all the time. The demonstrators yell “Freedom to Kazulin!” near the Academy of Sciences. There is a banner with the same slogan above the crowd. The banner is held by Siarhei Skrabets. There are more national flags above the crowd than the European Union ones.  Demonstrators yell “Long live Belarus!”, “Freedom to Kazulin!”, and just “Freedom!”.

14-35. About 3000 demonstrators are walking from the Victory Square to the Academy of Sciences. They are greeted by many car drivers. The square near the Academy of Sciences is full of people. The number of protester who gathered here is about 3000-3500.

14-40. The demonstrators passed the Victory monument. Near Biarozka café they tried to walk on the roadside. The road police returned them back on the sidewalks. Again they try to ruturn to the roadside. And again they have to return on the sidewalks. A road policeman strained his voice. Milinkevich, Kaliakin, Liabedzka, and Viachorka are in the column among the people. Besides the Belarusian, and EU flags, one can see Ukrainian, and anarchist flags, as well as the flags with Dashkevich’s portraits. The number of demonstrators on the avenue grew to about 4-5 thousand. There are banners “Belarus – to Europe!”, “No – to Borders!” above the column. The crowd chants: “Long live Belarus!”, and “Belarus to Europe!” Writer Adam Hlobus, sculptor Ales Shaternik are noticed in the crowd (“Nasha Niva”).

15-00. having passed Yakub Kolas Square, the demonstrators began to move on the roadside. They occupy the sidewalks and two lines of the road. The number of people is rapidly growing. There are many European Union flags and national symbols. The sidewalks are overcrowded. The small square near the Academy of Sciences is also overcrowded. Meanwhile, in the yards behind the Academy of Sciences there are 15 buses with riot police.

15-05. There are many buses with riot police forces behind CUM department store. Piatrus Brouka Street near the Academy of Sciences is closed.

15-10. After Yakub Koilas square the youth went to the roadside of the avenue, walking on all lines, three road police cars are blocked; young people are trying to block the car with the loudspeaker equipment. The road police tried to prevent the situation, but did not use force. KGB agents are making a video, but do not interfere. Number of people is over 4000. People are looking out of the windows and wave hands. A car with white-red-white flag is riding at the tail of the column.

15-15. Riot police appeared near the Academy of Sciences. They free the roadside from the demonstrators. The square near the Academy of Sciences is really overcrowded. Belarusian music is playing.

15-20. The column of demonstrators is heading to Kalinin Square, the riot police is already waiting near the National Library. According to our reporter Kasia Zolatava, one of the police cars was stopped by the girls who sat on the road in front of it. (European Radio).

15-40. Near the watch factory there was a small brawl of the riot police with the column of demonstrators who walked to the National Library. The road to the library is blocked.

16-40. The head of the column reached the Bangalore Squarem the rest of the demonstrators are coming. Viktar Ivashkevich, head of the Organizing Committee for the European March, suggested dispersing as the loudspeaker equipment cannot work without electricity.