Belsat.eu ‘prompts’ Russia’s Channel 1 to demonize Belarus for different view of history


On November 21, belsat.eu reported a presentation of a new book by Aleh Trusau ‘History Of Medieval Europe in the 5th -15th centuries’. Trusau, a historian and the chairman of the Belarusian language Society, states that the Belarusians came into being as a nation came 200 years earlier than the Russians did.

“All these fairy tales about a ‘slow and rural nation’ were invented by our enemies. We were developing along with the French and the Germans. Many nations, including the Russians, were some 300 years late and got behind us . As a nation, the Belarusians is senior by more than 200 years to the Russians. And the Ukrainian nation is our elder by 50 years,” Trusau said at the presentation.

Some days later, Russia’s state-run Channel 1 televised the programme Neighbours as part of the talk show Time Will Tell. The programme is traditionally dedicated to Ukraine and Belarus.

Trusau’s statement infuriated most guests and audience who were present in the studio. Its host Artyom Sheynin called the author of the Belarusian textbook a ‘freak’ who wants to poison fraternal relations between Russia and Belarus. As Aleh Trusau flatly refused to participate in the propagandist TV show, our country was represented by Belarusian historian Nina Stuzhynskaya and Katerina Kibalchich, a Belarusian-born journalist of Channel 1.

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At some moments, the heated debate on the book verged on the absurd. When Ms Stuzhynskaya called on everyone to calm down, the host said that too much calm had killed ten thousands of Ukrainians”, – said the leader of the program hinting that ‘wrong’ books had triggered protests on Kyiv’s Maidan and the war in Ukraine. As a proof of possible threats in Belarus, the Russian TV station aired a video of the Freedom Day rally in Minsk, which stirred the real wrath of the audience.

Mr Sheynin promised to come to Minsk and meet with the author of the book.

belsat.eu

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