To mark the start of the academic year, Belarusian students have taken to the the streets in solidarity with the growing opposition protest movement. And as has increasingly been the case in recent weeks, authorities' responses were haphazard and inconsistent, reflecting their fundamental powerlessness.
MINSK – Belarusian university students marked the start of the academic year on September 1 by announcing a strike. They planned to gather in Victory Square and then march to the Ministry of Education, where they would present a petition criticizing the authorities’ actions in the weeks since last month’s fraudulent presidential election. But almost immediately upon reaching the square, they encountered the riot police (OMON).
Unlike in other recent protests, the authorities showed little restraint in arresting demonstrators. But news of the harsh response spread quickly, prompting more students to take to the streets. As the ranks of university and even some high-school students swelled, what was supposed to be an hour-long demonstration continued for the rest of the day. At one point, a procession of some 200 students with flags passed by Mickiewicz Square. It was followed by another procession, this one comprising several dozen OMON.
Soon, the authorities decided that it was time to intervene, and undercover policemen suddenly started rounding up students. These plainclothes officers are the most despised of the security forces, because they are widely seen as cowards. At least the OMON and other uniformed officers are willing to come face to face with the protesters, unlike those who hide in their cars, waiting for an opportune moment to snatch people off the streets.
MINSK – Belarusian university students marked the start of the academic year on September 1 by announcing a strike. They planned to gather in Victory Square and then march to the Ministry of Education, where they would present a petition criticizing the authorities’ actions in the weeks since last month’s fraudulent presidential election. But almost immediately upon reaching the square, they encountered the riot police (OMON).
Unlike in other recent protests, the authorities showed little restraint in arresting demonstrators. But news of the harsh response spread quickly, prompting more students to take to the streets. As the ranks of university and even some high-school students swelled, what was supposed to be an hour-long demonstration continued for the rest of the day. At one point, a procession of some 200 students with flags passed by Mickiewicz Square. It was followed by another procession, this one comprising several dozen OMON.
Soon, the authorities decided that it was time to intervene, and undercover policemen suddenly started rounding up students. These plainclothes officers are the most despised of the security forces, because they are widely seen as cowards. At least the OMON and other uniformed officers are willing to come face to face with the protesters, unlike those who hide in their cars, waiting for an opportune moment to snatch people off the streets.