Sport against violence: how rallies are held in Belarus

Sport against violence: how rallies are held in Belarus

Protesters are not building barricades and looting – instead they are playing soccer with riot police.

Residents of Belarus have been protesting against the results of the presidential election for a week. The actions are exclusively peaceful. During the rallies, Belarusians even find time for sports. We tell how it helps the protesters to defend their point of view.

Why do Belarusians protest?

According to the Central Election Commission of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko won the presidential election in 2020, receiving 80.1% of votes. Recall that he has been the president since 1994. While the opposition candidate Svetlana Tikhanovska scored 10.1%.

Not all Belarusians agree with such results, so the citizens have been lining up in solidarity chains to express their disagreement for a week already.

The wave of protests rose back in late May 2020, when opponents of the current government went out on demonstrations with placards and called on President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko to leave office. And after the voting, held on August 9, public discontent flared up with renewed vigor.

What is happening at the rallies?

The protests are peaceful, despite the brutality of law enforcement agencies. Belarusians rally calmly, taking care of their own country: during the actions they play sports, clean up the garbage, and give flowers to police officers.

Thus, on Thursday, August 13, in Minsk, men played chess right at the protest action, sitting on the grass.

And the next day in the capital, Belarusians played badminton at the entrance to the state institution. On the T-shirt of one of the men was a brightly colored inscription: “Sport against violence”.

Not only protesters, but also representatives of law enforcement agencies participate in sports games. For example, on election day in Navapolatsk, protesters played soccer with OMON officers.

Many fans gathered to watch the impromptu match, but instead of the usual soccer shouts, the “stands” chanted: “The police are with the people!”.