FOOD NOT BOMBS actions take place in Minsk every Saturday for more than one month now. Every time the collective succeeds to feed about 60-80 people with delicious and warm vegan food. The staff of the collective is diverse and varies from anarchapunx to krishnaits, but they are united by the impulse to help those who are in need, and what is more important, to demonstrate, that it is possible to change the world by helping each other…. The reactions of the commoners are mainly positive, but of course the reproaches are also heard. During the last action (June 23) somebody of the nearest houses' tenants had called the police. The actions of the police patrol were inert and after some explanations ("We only want to help..." and "We all have sanitary permissions") they made a list of surnames of those 4 people who were holding scoops in their hands, and left. The police declared that the participants were law-abiding and that their personal data were necessary only for information…. In future activists of Food Not Bombs are planning to keep on doing actions in Minsk and don't intend to change their permanent place for the moment. To contact Minsk Food not Bombs collective please send an e-mail at fnbminsk@narod.ru

The first attempt to organize Food Not Bombs action in Homel on July 17 also resulted in the police interference. The situation was similar to the incident in Minsk, but even more absurd. Somebody had called the police, they came and drew up a report. One of the participants was accused of "blocking the pavement with tables with food for free distribution on". Besides, the attitude of the commoners to the Food Not Bombs was rather hostile, they considered it as humiliation of their dignity, whereas they were not in need of food. It should be mentioned also that some of the passers-by took the food in order to express their dissent with the police actions.

In Belarus every grassroots action, not only anarcho-punk concerts, but even free distribution of food must be sanctioned by the authorities. The level of social distrust is so high that people simply don't believe that food can be distributed for free with the only aim - to help those who are in need. It is accompanied with hostility to the outcasts and indifference towards other people's sufferings. The fact that the police in both cases most likely were called by the common people proves that the authorities almost succeeded in their mission - to crush social ties, which make possible social solidarity and concern. And this makes such grassroots actions as Food Not Bombs even more important.