Yesterday we already published a leaflet calling for respect for all tactics of protest. The reason for publishing this leaflet was the negative experience of some activists of anarchist movement in the streets of the city. The protesters started actively looking for provocateurs inside the crowd, who “provoke” the police to disperse the demonstrations by force. All those who try to take people away from the cops and prevent arrests, at least by part of the people, begin to be negatively perceived. It is these actions, in their opinion, that lead to the violent dispersal of demonstrations.
After several days of peaceful protests, more and more active people in social networks are calling exclusively for peaceful protests. In their opinion, we must stop provoking the police and try to persuade them. The absurdity of the situation has reached such an extent that next to the stories of torture and beating of protesters, there are news of people giving flowers to the internal troops and kissing them! It was as if there was no blood flowing through the streets of our cities.
The situation is developing so rapidly that some are beginning to call for the arrest and transfer to the police of activists dressed in black and with backpacks that do not carry white balloons and flowers. We believe that such calls come at least in part from the authorities themselves. It is now crucial for the KGB and the Interior Ministry to break the protest into two parts and leave peaceful demonstrators without any support. Detentions of anarchists, anti-fascists and other active people on the street will help the authorities to reduce the intensity of the protest. Those you hand over to the police are expected to be tortured and possibly killed. Come to your senses, you’re calling for your brothers and sisters to be put in the hands of the punishers!
We can’t defeat this regime if we think constantly about what might provoke it. Today any protest in Belarus is illegal. So even if you stand on the sidewalk during an unauthorized action – it’s still illegal, and the authorities can detain you with the use of force under these laws. The laws they’ve been writing for 26 years are chains holding us back in the system’s basements. It is necessary to stop looking for some imaginary provocateurs among us, which are even spoken about on state channels. We all know perfectly well that the main provocateur in Belarus wears a mustache, and it is him we need to get rid of.
It’s extremely difficult for activists of the anarchist movement to do anything on the streets now. Not only OMON, but also other law enforcement agencies are after us. Spreading leaflets or active participation in rallies at the entrance to factories can end up not only in detention, but also in criminal cases, as well as torture. We call for the solidarity of all protesters. Only together will we be able to win!
See you on the streets!
Your anarchists…
