A week ago, calls for international solidarity reached us from Belarus, which is currently experiencing an uprising against Lukashenko, who has been in power for 25 years. The regime has cut off the internet and landline telephones to prevent the uprising from taking place. The police are confiscating ambulances and public transport buses to transport their thousands of arrestees, torturing them in police stations and firing live ammunition in the streets. Meanwhile, Lukashenko struts armed in front of his police, who cheer him on.
On 12 August 2020 three anarchist comrades were arrested, one of whom is accused of “organising mass riots” and are facing long prison sentences.
One comrade expressed himself on the situation in his country on the website Crimethinc:
“As for the strategy… The main goal is very simple—to bring down the dictator. By participating in the protests, to spread the ideas of horizontal organizing and decentralization. Even during the clashes, people are still spreading the leaflets to protesters at the back of the crowd. There is a belief that if people manage to bring down Lukashenko without politicians and big leaders, that will deal a powerful blow to authoritarian tendencies in the country. It will also give a huge boost to self-organization and solidarity in this society.”
“Support from the outside inspires not only the hearts of anarchists, but also the hearts of everyone on the street.”
We could not remain inactive. As a message of solidarity, during the night of Sunday 23rd August to Monday 24th August 2020, we attacked together the Belarusian embassy in Paris with bottles of glass filled with paint, breaking windows in the process.
Fear turned into rage, rage into victory!
To all our comrades in revolt, courage, hold on!
Freedom for all the prisoners in Belarus, Italy, Germany and elsewhere!
Freedom for Frantskevich, Akihiro and Nikita and all the rebels!
[Translated into English by Anarchists Worldwide]
