Yesterday was the 23rd anniversary of the
nuclear power plant catastrophe in chernobyl, ucraine. Because
especially parts of belarus were strongly affected, after the fall of
soviet union in 1989 legal protests started to take place in minsk, the
capital of belarus, every year. This year, local anarchist groups
called for solidarity actions all over the world, because the president
of belarus decided last year to let the first ever nuclear power plant
to be constructed in belarus in 2009.
This is quite cynical because
still a lot of people suffer here from the consequences of that
catastrophe, but it is difficult to protest against because legal
protest is nearly impossible under the burocratic state control. It is
only twice a year that legal political demonstrations take part in
belarus, and both are mainly made of oppositional parties, whose main
slogan is "long live belarus" and which is showing up with nationalist
flags and a mix of non-left groups. So situation is not easy as locals
say, because expect anarchists there are nearly no groups wich are in a
way progressive acting. Some liberals who would like belaurs to join
european union and loads of nationalists of all kind.
We are not
living here but were at a visit in minsk. We expected at least some
ngos or other groups to participate yesterday, but there were nearly
only oppositionals who did nearly not show up with banners about the
content of the demonstration but mostly with masses of flags of their
parties and organisations. To form an organisation here is quite
dangerouse if it is not accepted by law. The anarchist locals were
supported of some people from ucraine and different cities of belarus.
There were also solidarity actions in the city of grodna in western
belarus. The demonstration was starting at noon and consisted of around
1000 people. The anarchist block was made of around 120 people
including a samba band and banners like "an alternative is possible"
and "antinuclear resistance". Because the protest was denied to use the
main street and to go to the city center, there was an attempt to just
cross police lines to reclaim it, but people were not shure about
situation and experiences show that protestors of the opposition
cooporate with police if anarchists are acting. Eventhoug the spot was
full of KGB agents (yes, they did not change the name after soviet
union fall!) So after some time of standing beside the road, some
people from the anarchist block started to use a narrow street nearby
and splitted from the other part of demonstation who tried to walk on
the sidewalk. The far right nationalists tried first to provoke the
block and later some other nationalists tried to reclaim the front of
the protest. So there was a mix of shoutings against each other and in
the end of that street riot police was blocking the way to the inner
city. Because it was not making sense to walk with police in narrow
streets without people recognising anything, the anarchist block
decided to disappear from the protest and meet later for an aftershow
protest.
So all together the demonstration took part for around one and a half hour!
At
around seven in the evening there was a conspirative meeting point,
where there should be a short protest action in a kind of reclaim the
streets.
Some 50 people gathered with a banner and samba band and
distributed leaflets for some minutes. After around 10 minutes police
arrived and people walked fast away not to be controlled. The regular
punishment for illegal gathering like this is a fine of 70 Dollar
(which is a lot in belarus) and prison from 3 to 15 days. Police was
even collecting back leaflets from passing by people to confiscate
them. But nobody was catched at that 10 minutes protest.
About the global solidarity you can find a report of demonstration in germany in english here:
http://de.indymedia.org/2009/04/248386.shtml
Belarussian report about the protest with pictures and videoclips:
http://belarus.indymedia.org/16668
Projects from belarus connected to the topic:
http://mirnyatom.net (green newspaper project)
http://cm.375crew.org (critical mass in belarus)
See also articles in german with pictures:
"Critical mass saison started in Minsk" at http://de.indymedia.org/2009/04/248302.shtml
"Food not bombs in Minsk" at http://de.indymedia.org/2009/04/247165.shtml
Call for protests: http://www.avtonom.org/index.php?nid=2169
On the 26-th of April traditional demonstration "Chernobyl Path" took
place in Minsk. Its aim was to commemorate victims of Chernobyl
disaster in 1986 and to say "No" to nuclear energetics.
Participants of demo started to gather on the area near Academy of
Sciences from 12:00 a.m. Gathering and initial rally took about 1
hour, and total number of participants just before procession was
about 1.000 demonstrators – and this is today, when new Chernobyl
threat has become more clear, when it seems that all forces should be
applied to resist construction of NPP in Belarus. The reason is simple
and clear: all opposition parties and movements totally ignored
agitation company for attracting usual citizens to participate in
"Chernobyl Path". So demo was mostly formed by different opposition
organizations (about 5) and "Anti-nuclear Resistance" – anarchoblock
with black, red’n’black and green’n’black flags, formed by 130 people.
During the rally participants of "Anti-nuclear Resistance" were
holding banners "Alternative exists" (it means that alternative and
renewable energy sources can substitute NPP), "We are against the
nuclear reactor" and "Anti-nuclear Resistance". Leaflets with
anti-nuclear and pro-anarchistic contents were spread during the
rally. A lot of slogans against nuclear energy, state and capitalism
were shouted by participants of anarchoblock, among them: "No to
NPP!", "All budged is spend for NPP, no money left for salaries!",
"Country without NPP! Country without monsters!", "We demand
alternatives!", "Rise higher black flag – state is main enemy!",
"Officials are thieves, politicians are liars! For the dollars they
are digging a grave for country!", "We are stronger and we shall
win!", "Our solution is self-governing!".
From the very beginning of the rally anarchoblock was put under
constant and the most steadfast observation by KGB: more than 10 of
its employees were filming, fotoing and "accompanying" block from the
start to the end of the event. There was not so much of usual cops in
the demonstration area.
After rally demonstrators crossed the street by subway, where they
continued shouting slogans. There was an intrigue from the very
beginning of the event: will the participants go by the route allowed
by authorities, or will try to go to Yakub Kolas square, risking to
confront with riot police. However, seeing that almost none of
demonstrators is set to confront, and way to the square blocked by 3
lines of riot cops we decided to go some time by allowed route and
then to turn to our route and go till it’s appropriate.
During time we were moving by B.Khmelnicki street riot cops were
regrouping to block the Ya.Kolas street. So, standing on Ya.Kolas
street, we were shouting slogans like "OMON – SS" (OMON is former name
of riot cops), "We don’t afraid!", "A.C.A.B.!", as well contacting
through megaphone students watching from windows of nearby hostels
calling for resistance and reproaching them being not on the street.
After that we collect our flags and banners and started to leave the
event, protesting against attempts of the authorities to impose there
route. Even during our way home we where accompanied by about 20 cops
in mufti.
FOTO: http://belarus.avtonom.org/?p=3871 //
http://toxaby.livejournal.com/319592.html //
http://nn.by/index.php?c=ar&i=25823 //
http://nn.by/index.php?c=ar&i=25827 //
WORDS(rus) & FOTO : http://belarus.indymedia.org/16668 //
http://belarus.avtonom.org/?p=3861 //
http://mikola-a.livejournal.com/194337.html
WORDS(eng) : http://belarus.indymedia.org/16721
Video: http://belarus.indymedia.org/content/guest/16669.flv
Later at 18:40 40 activists of "Anti-nuclear Resistance" made a short
unauthorized action on the square near supermarket "Belarus". Action
was short cause cops patrolling street nearby immediately called for
support from the nearest police station. However, even during that
short time we were able to attract attention of passers using
samba-band, banner "Alternative exists" and red’n’black flags. About
200 anti-nuclear leaflets were spread during the action.
FOTO: http://belarus.avtonom.org/?p=3881
VIDEO: http://belarus.indymedia.org/content/guest/16676.flv
Despite police and KGB control none was detained during the whole day.
The same day, activists in Hrodna also did not leave that day without
attention: two banners "Chernobyl’1986 – Astraviec’20??. Anti-nuclear
Resistance" were hung out in public places, and about a hundred
pamphlets "Mythology of "peaceful atom" were distributed.
FOTO: http://belarus.indymedia.org/16677
VIDEO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zk8I7W0CDMc
***
In 2008, the Security Council of Belarus has taken a final decision to
build a nuclear power plant in Belarus. Nobody asked the people of
Belarus, whether they want to have a delayed nuclear bomb in their
country. Even without it most people in Belarus feel the impact of
radiation. At the same time, the nuclear power plant will be
constructed in credit for Russian assets. The money for the payment of
the loan, at least 4 billion, will be taken from the pockets of the
population, and how much construction will really cost we can only
guess.
However, an alternative to nuclear power exists. This is solar, wind,
biomass energy and small hydro-power plants. We propose to use funds
to be spent on construction and maintenance of nuclear power plant,
for development of alternative energy sources. In the future, this
will help reduce the production costs of energy, avoiding the
consequences of new Chernobyl.
For "Anti-nuclear Resistance", as for anarchists, "Chernobyl Path" is
also the only day of the year when we can express our political views
and do not run away from cops immediately after that, so the
preparation was treated seriously and responsibly, and that gave its
results – despite the common "failed" demonstration, we were the very
bright and organized group of all who came. As well as not having
support "form outside" we can already compete with the opposition in
releasing
agitation production and attracting people to our ranks.
Using riot cops and many "mufti" government wants to intimidate those
who have an independent opinion, who thinks with his/her head, not
with TV. Obviously one thing – they do not go! Year after year, we
become increasingly more. Meanwhile government has force – but the
truth is for us! Despite government’s opposition, we’ll achieve our
goal and shall live in a country where decisions what to build and how
to live will be made by us!
Anti-nuclear Resistance
antiatombel(at)riseup.net
