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In Western countries, street protesters are treated far more badly than in Belarus, president Alyaksandr Lukashenka believes.
Belarusian state-run media are constantly trying to confirm the leader’s words by showing photos and footage of foreign police beating protesters and using tear gas and weapons against them.
“They should take a look at what kind of democracy is practiced in Western countries. Brussels, London, Paris, and Germany saw bombs, poison, tear gas, water cannons, and police batons only recently,” Lukashenka responded to the critical voices from the USA and the EU after the brutal crackdown of the peaceful protest in Minsk on March, 25.
However, if we compare the authorities’ attitude to the street protests in our country and in the West, a fuller picture is beginning to emerge.
- In the European Union, one should just inform the authorities of a pending protest rally (in Germany – 2 days in advance, in France, Poland Italy – 3 days). In Belarus, one should get permission and let the authorities know the intention to hold an event not later than 15 days before its date.
- In Belarus, a metro station is closed if a rally is staged near it. In France, subway may offer free travel during a big demonstrations.
- In the West, the police step in only when mass unrest begins in the streets.
- After riots in Britain, where hundreds of cars were burnt, there were killed and injured persons, several participants got a prison sentence.
- In Belarus, there were sentences to 5.5 year in jail for the broken glass in the door of the House of Government in the 2010 post-election protests. There were no victims.
In February-March, there has been an eruption of protesting the so-called ‘parasite’ law in Belarus. Hundreds of Belarusians were detained, fined, jailed after recent non-parasite marches. Most of them were accused of violating the order of holding mass events and disobedience to police officers’ demands. It should be noted that plainclothes policemen who refuse to show their IDs a or introduce themselves often beat people and prevented journalists from performing their professional duties.
