Tens of thousands of opposition supporters took to the streets of Minsk on Sunday.

Tens of thousands of opposition supporters took to the streets of Minsk on Sunday to demand an end to the rule of authoritarian leader Aliaksandr Lukashenko, despite the presence of large forces in the city and the arrest of dozens of people.

Belarus has been protesting for more than three weeks after the disputed August 9 presidential election, which was declared victorious by Lukashenko. But her main rival, opposition spokeswoman Sviatlana Cichanouskaya, says they are her real winner.

According to the AFP journalist and local media, more than 100,000 people gathered for Sunday’s protest, and its size was on par with the previous weekend’s demonstrations in the history of independent Belarus. The crowd gathered at Lukashenko’s official residence at the Independence Palace, guarded by riot police and special forces supported by snipers on the roof.

Sunday’s rally commemorated Lukashenko’s 66th birthday, and protesters brought a kind of handmade “gift,” including a cardboard toilet with a sign urging the authoritarian leader to “get off,” a coffin with the words “Corpse.” politician, “a model of cockroach: the opposition is reminds the president.

The March for Peace and Independence began in Minsk on Sunday at 2 pm local (and Lithuanian) time, and the militia began detaining people almost immediately after it began, as people tried to reach the central square of the city. Independence.

People carried flowers and symbolic gifts on the ground in front of a high barrier guarded by riot police equipped with helmets and shields.

Maryja Kalesnikava, a member of the presidium of the Coordination Council created by the Belarusian opposition, asked in vain to be admitted to the residence for negotiations. Lukashenko’s adviser, Mikalaj Latyshonak, came out to speak with the protesters and stated that the leader would not negotiate with the opposition.

125 people were detained during the first two hours of the protest. Most of them are accused of participating in unauthorized mass protests.

The protesters began to split up at night, starting to rain heavily. Riot police also began to drive protesters away from the palace. Thousands of people gathered in similar demonstrations in other Belarusian cities, local media reported.

At that time, the Belarusian government on Saturday withdrew the accreditation of journalists working for various foreign media outlets.

The Kremlin said the two agreed to meet in Moscow in the coming weeks and reaffirmed their intentions to strengthen ties between Belarus and Russia, with Putin pledging military support for Lukashenko last week if necessary.