World has known about European March
- 16.10.2007, 18:32
The leading world news agencies Reuters, the Associated Press, Agence France-Presse reported the European March held in Minsk 14 October. Television news channel EuroNews, radio and television broadcasting services Voice of America and BBC informed about the Belarusian March. The world agencies’ information the world editions published.
About 6,000 demonstrators marched through the Belarusian capital Sunday to denounce the policies of President Alexander Lukashenka, accused in the West of crushing fundamental rights, Reuters informed.
The opposition, disparate and fractious earlier, had announced it was staging the event Sunday as a united front.
Demonstrators shouted “Long live Belarus” and “Belarus in Europe”. Many carried blue European flags and the banned red-and-white Belarusian national flag.
“We have staged this march for the benefit of a free Belarus, to say that we are moving towards Europe”, said Alexander Milinkevich, the opposition leader who challenged Lukashenka in elections last year. “People ask me how often we will do this - I say we will do so until we win”.
Speaking to Reuters before the rally, Milinkevich said the march showed Lukashenka was afraid of the opposition even on the issue of moving towards Europe.
“We are coming out in favour of Europe, the path to Europe”, he said. “And they are afraid of even this though they say they want to cooperate more closely with Europe”.
Milinkevich said more than 50 opposition activists had been detained in the run-up to the protest.
Television channel Russia Today informed that “thousands of people took to the streets in the Belarusian capital, Minsk, in a rare protest against the country's president Alexander Lukashenko. The leaders of opposition groups named it the “March to Europe”. Those taking part called for closer ties with the European Union. The rally was authorised by Belarusian authorities. The demonstration ended peacefully with no people detained”.
The BBC reported that “thousands of opposition supporters in Belarus have taken part in a rare demonstration for ties with the EU. Demonstrators from a loose coalition of opposition parties carried EU flags proclaiming “Belarus in Europe” and demanding the closure of Russian military bases in the country. Opposition leader Alexander Milinkevich told the crowd: “Europe means free elections for free citizens”.
The BBC reminded President Lukashenka has been branded the “last dictator in Europe” by the US State Department. The president has been barred from travelling to the EU. In the past year the Belarus government has clashed with Russia, its traditional ally, over oil supplies. In August, Moscow cut gas exports to Belarus by almost a half, citing unpaid debt.
The decision to allow Sunday's demonstration was welcomed by both Washington and Brussels. Nonetheless, an opposition group said 50 of its activists were detained ahead of the rally, the BBC reminds.
Voice of America said that “thousands of Belarusian opposition supporters marched in Minsk Sunday against the authoritarian policies of President Alexander Lukashenko. At least 5,000 people heard opposition leader Alexander Milinkevich demand closer ties to Europe, saying Europe means free elections and free citizens. He said Belarusians will keep demonstrating as long as they are not free”.
The demonstration was peaceful, Voice of America notes, but referring to the Belarusian opposition website Charter’97, says the Belarusian authorities kept European Parliament Vice President Janusz Onyszkiewicz from entering the country to speak to the crowd.
“Belarusian authorities have marchers the rare permission to demonstrate, although they were only allowed to gather in a remote park in Minsk instead of the city center”, - Voice of America notes.