Police called in paddy wagon for participants of protest rally against school reform

• 2.09.2008, 10:55

On September 1 activists of the youth organisation of the Belarusian Popular Front party “Moladz BNF” held a protest rally against school reform.

The BelaPAN was told about that by an activist of the organisation Franak Vyachorka. As said by him, 25 participants lined up near the trading house in Nyamiha Street. They were holding posters with portraits of historical personalities and writers, princes of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Vitaut and Alherd, Yanka Kupala, Yakub Kolas, Maxim Bahdanovich, Vasil Bykau, who, according to the picketers, “where affected by the school reform” (combining the courses of Belarusian history and world history, elimination of an exam in Belarusian literature from the course of education of senior schoolchildren). “Besides, our activists were holding posters with Cicero and Orwell’s sayings about importance of learning of history,” Franak Vyachorka said.

After the participants of the rally attracted attention of policemen and special services. They decided to “go away from Nyamiha and staged a little march towards State Department Store, where they stood for about 10 minutes, and disbanded after a paddy wagon arrived,” Franak Vyachorka said.

As said by F. Vyachorka, the rally lasted for about half an hour. None of its participants was detained.