Aliaksandr Kabanau: Brest Residents Realized That Everything Depends On Them
- 4.11.2019, 23:15
Protests against the battery factory are showing results.
Yesterday, the opponents of the battery factory held another rally. The protests against the dangerous enterprise in Brest have been going on for more than a year and a half. This is a vivid example of how one should fight for the rights in Belarus.
What is this protest about and what is its main positive aspect?
Well-known blogger and activist Aliaksandr Kabanau has commented on the situation for Charter97.org:
- In Belarus, the majority of people believe that nothing depends on them at all and that it is impossible to achieve something. Nobody knows what to do with it.
A certain group of people in Brest realized that a lot depends on them, that's why this protest has been going on for a long time. The result is obvious: these are the detentions of officials, of Lemiasheuski, and the fact that the plant is still closed.
Today, many officials - strange as it may seem - are taking the protesters' side slantingly, understanding the damage of this enterprise. And, moreover, the Brest residents have realized that they cannot rely on the people who have been appointed to head various committees - district executive committees and the city executive committee. And that they should trust public activists more - this is an unusual phenomenon for Belarus.
The positive point is that the protesters see the result. It shows that citizens can achieve something, that we need civil society. For some reason it is formed in our country at the protests against something.
Let it be just the beginnings, let it be a few cases in some regions - and this does not affect the authorities in Minsk. But still, they get puzzled - it can be seen with the naked eye. For example, the removal of all the candidates. Many things show that Lukashenka has paid attention to it.
Brest citizens show with their protest: "Guys, it's all nonsense when they tell you that nothing depends on you. - But it does depend! However, we need to take certain steps.
This is the history. First, it is the longest protest in the history of modern Belarus. Second, the authorities have tried to suppress this protest many times - nothing has worked out.
I am sure that it will continue until the issue is completely closed.