Over 150 persons showed up at Sunday’s protest rally in Brest: they gathered in the main square, and then marched along the centre of the city.
A year ago, Brest residents started protesting against the construction of a hazardous battery factory by the iPower company. As the city authorities outlaw protests, people do not make speeches or chant any slogans – they just feed pigeons or carry baloons.
For the first time, the locals took part in peaceful protesting on February 25, 2018. Over the past year, people came to the square every Sunday, filed complaints and appeals, collected 40,000 signatures, but the authorities keep ignoring their opinion.
Notably, on February 10, it was the first time when people had not gone to their places after feeding pigeons in Lenin Square – they had been silently marching along the pedestrianised Savetskaya street to the Belarus cinema. Since then, three marches have taken place.
The construction is almost over; last week iPower invited ‘loyal’ journalists to visit the plant. After the meeting, it was announced that the plant would be launched in March; the first battery is expected to be menufactured next month.
“Even if the plant starts operating, we will not stop our protesting, we will continue to act and do everything to close the hazardous production facility down,” human rights activist Raman Kislyak told Belsat TV.
Before the start of ‘feeding the pigeons’ the riot police detained activist Alyaksandr Kabanau. Later, they released him without drawing up a protocol.
During the year of protest, about 70 mass events were banned. Therefore, people gather in the central square of Brest and feed pigeons, but even in this format, the authorities use repression. Many participants of the pigeon feeding were detained by the police, people were fined and held in prison. Moreover, every appearance of the Belsat journalists is punishable by heavy fines.
The battery plant near the city is being built in the free economic zone Brest by a Chinese corporation. The project was commissioned by the iPower company. It is planned that the plant will have a full cycle of production of lead-acid batteries.
СА/Belsat.eu
