At a press conference in Minsk, the UCP, the BSDP (Hramada) and the movement “For Freedom” reported sending an application to the Minsk City Executive Committee with a request to allow the rally on March 25.
The rally is to be held at the Bolshoi Opera and Ballet Theater in Minsk, where the organizers want to put up tents and stands to talk about their activities and collect signatures for the reforms.
Among other things, they expect to collect signatures for Belarus’s withdrawal from the Union State with Russia, for giving the white-red-white flag the status of historical and cultural value and for the reform of the education system.
“The topic of the Union State became relevant in recent weeks, there appeared a danger of creating a single currency, some kind of supranational bodies common with Russia. Therefore, it is very important that the Belarusian citizens give their answer to the proposals that are now heard from the Kremlin. I am sure that since the signing of this agreement, the number of supporters of the Belarus’ independence has increased significantly, and there is no way to shake sovereignty except by open military aggression,” Yury Hubarevich, chairman of the movement “For Freedom”, told belsat.eu.
According to opposition leaders, the rally should not replace the concert scheduled for March 24, but should be a logical addition, since political overtones remain in the celebration of Freedom Day. The estimated number of participants in the rally is 25-30 thousand people. In the application, the start is scheduled for 4:00 pm, but the organizers plan to start a little later – closer to 6 pm.
On January 16, the organizing committee for the Freedom Day celebration in Minsk submitted an application to the Minsk City Executive Committee to hold a march from Kastrychnitskaya Street to the Dynama Stadium on March 24, where a rally and concert will take place. The city authorities have not yet responded to the application, but the management of Dynama stated that it was impossible to hold a concert at the stadium in connection with the preparation for the European Games.
