Protests swell in Belarus, Lukashenko blames foreigners

MINSK (Reuters) – Belarussian leader Alexander Lukashenko on Friday told people to stay home so as not to be “cannon fodder” for what he said were revolutionaries with foreign support after large crowds took to the streets on the seventh consecutive day to demand that he departed.

Lukashenko, whose Sunday election victory was marked by fraud by protesters last Sunday, has failed to stop days of street demonstrations against him despite security forces’ harsh response to protesters.

Opposition politician Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who fled to neighboring Lithuania under heavy pressure earlier this week, called for more protests and an election rally on Friday.

That added more pressure to the authoritarian leader when he faced the biggest challenge in his 26 years.

He showed no signs of backing.

‘Do not throw yourself into the streets. You have to understand that you are being used, and our children are being used, like cannon fodder, ”Lukashenko said in television comments.

“Today, people came from Poland, the Netherlands, Ukraine and Russia. Aggression against our country has already begun, “he said, suggesting that anti-Kremlin activists were trying to stir up trouble.

He had previously joked that he was alive and had not fled abroad.

In a video posted on social media on Friday, Tsikhanouskaya asked her supporters to request an official inquiry into allegations that Lukashenko had rigged the presidential election.

“Belarusians will never want to live with the old authorities again,” she said. ‘Let’s defend our choice. Do not stay on the sidelines. Our voices need to be heard. ”

At least two Protestants were killed and thousands detained during this week’s crackdown. The European Union took its first step on Friday in imposing new sanctions on Belarus, with a diplomatic source saying that member states had agreed to abandon its foreign policy unit by preparing a list of individuals to to be blacklisted.

Tens of thousands of people took to the streets Friday for a sixth consecutive day, demanding that Lukashenko resign. Protesters were collaborated by workers at some of the state-owned industrial plants that are at the center of his Soviet-style economic model.

When the crowd gathered in the parliament building on Independence Square in Minsk, at least two helmet security officials removed their riot shields, prompting women to run forward to hug and offer flowers.

In a carnival atmosphere, marchers held up balloons, flags and placards and said “we will not forget, we will not forgive”. Horns of passing cars blow in solidarity.

In a rare uprising, the government had earlier apologized for using violence because it freed more than 2,000 Protestants from detention.

Several suffered severe bruising and complained of beatings, cramped conditions and hunger pangs within the cells. The government denied abuse of detainees.

‘GO AWAY’

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called for sanctions on “those who violated democratic values ​​or abused human rights in Belarus”.

Belarus’s Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei told his Swiss counterpart in a call that Minsk was ready for “constructive and objective dialogue with foreign partners” on election-related issues, state news agency BelTA reported.

Russia, which has urged Lukashenko to accept closer political and economic ties, has expressed concern over what it portrayed as attempts by external forces to destabilize Belarus.

Russia’s public ministry said on Friday that Belarus had returned a group of 32 Russian nationals after arresting them and accusing them of being mercenaries to destabilize Belarus.

Lukashenko, a 65-year-old who once ran a Soviet collective farm, is facing growing anger over his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, such as a sluggish economy and civil rights.

The official election result gave him a landslide victory with 80% of the vote, compared to about 10% for Tsikhanouskaya. Washington said the vote was “not free and fair”.

Thousands of workers protested Friday at the Minsk Automobile Plant (MAZ), which makes trucks and buses, singing “Shame on you!” and “Go!”, reflect the unrest seen at several major factories this week.

Tsikhanouskaya, a 37-year-old former English teacher, emerged from obscurity a few weeks ago to take her husband’s place in the election campaign after he was imprisoned. She has now led some of the biggest protests against Lukashenko since he came to power with the fall of the Soviet Union.

Shortly after the election, she fled to Lithuania, saying it was for the sake of her children. On Friday, she called on the international community to facilitate talks with the authorities and said they wanted to set up a council to enable a transfer of power, a proposal that was quickly endorsed by the President of Lithuania.