Anyone, if only Sasha

The most massive protest in the history of modern Belarus was held in Minsk - and Lukashenko made a rally in his support. Report "Medusa"

On the afternoon of August 16, 200 thousand opponents of Alexander Lukashenko entered the streets of Minsk. And shortly before the most mass protest in the history of modern Belarus, the first a week before people, Lukashenko himself spoke. The state employees were brought to the pro -government rally in Minsk from all over the country, but the participants still turned out to be many times less than on a protest campaign. At the request of Medusa, Belarusian journalist Lyudmila Pogodina watched what was happening in Minsk.

Exactly a week has passed since August 9 . People took to the streets, there were skirmishes and strikes, mass peaceful protests and beating people with security forces. But everyone waited on August 16 - a day off on which the most massive protest was planned, the “march of freedom”.

The day began with the call. A friend lists everyone who advised not to go to the city today: parents, retired officer and a familiar one from the UNDS . Such alarming leads come all week: "There is a danger everywhere, sit at home." But at some point, the horror stories just stop working.

At 13 o’clock we find ourselves in one of the most protest microdistricts of Minsk - a stone hill. For several days in a row the so -called chains of solidarity gathered here - immediately after OMON walked around the area with rubber bullets and light -school grenades.

A company of two girls and guys who were sitting in the yard meet us with the question "Well, are we going?" And the slogan "Live Belarus!".

At this time, people with flags and white ribbons are already gathering at this time. Belarming cars pass by. Viktor Tsoi's car beeps and songs "Changes!" Already became the soundtrack of the Belarusian protest. But the most excitement in the crowd is caused by the alarming ambulance, buses and truck trucks.

When about a hundred people gather at the intersection, we are moving towards the Pushkinskaya metro station, which became the center of the Minsk protests. Two banners are carried ahead: “Change Sasha in the light” and “Go strike. I created. "

To carry a white-red-white flag at the beginning of the column helps the paratrooper. White and red during protest became symbolic flowers. Some girls at protest come in wedding dresses.

Right in front of us on the shoulders of the father, a girl of about four years old with her hand raised up, she shows a symbol of victory in the form of the letter V, and then makes a remark to her father: "If you also straightened the back." There are many children around it - in strollers, on the shoulders and by the hand with parents. Because of this, the sensation of the festival appears. At the same time, there is immediately a woman with a collage from signs with calls to stop the violence of security forces.

While we are going to the next metro station, a rally is still held on Independence Square in Lukashenko’s support. But our column is moving not there, but to the concrete obelisk-the stele-and the bronze statue “Motherland” and simultaneously chants “Come out!” Those who wave to us from the nearest houses.

- Girls, come with us! - says a man with a child passers -by.

- Come, let's go! We are waiting for a friend.

“Do not lag behind the main thing,” the man says, and then adds: “Do not lag behind the people, otherwise one is already behind.”

In the crowd, they pay attention to the fact that all protesters walk along the sidewalk and do not even occupy a bicycle path. Although there are already several hundred people in the column - and its tail is not visible. Due to such intelligence of protest in the crowd, they begin to joke about Lukashenko’s words about the protesters-he regularly calls them criminals.

- Hey, addict, drink what? How is it not?! We do not need “non -bitter” non -brown farmers here! - one of the protesters jokes and hugs a walking girl in front.

- Yes, how many drug addicts are there in the country! - The intelligent couple of about fifty years pick up the topic.

“They walk around the city, are healed,” they answer.

The crowd breaks at pedestrian crossings - people mechanically stop at the red light, but the drivers wave so that the protesters pass, and signal welcoming. At one of the transitions, the bus driver welcomes us with a symbol of victory. I ask the driver with gestures whether it is possible to photograph him - he smiles and brings his head negatively.

We pass by the Orthodox Church, at the entrance to which an elderly woman in a scarf is sitting. She relies on the cane, waves her fist and welcomes us with a screaming “faith! Mojam! Featers! ”

Right before Pushkinskaya we meet a man with two three -year -old children: “I would go with you, but today I stay with the elder. Caution there. " Behind him, someone put large speakers at the high-rise windows and chopped Tsoi, a man from a passing car shouts to the Megaphone “Victory behind us!”, A woman with a child of about ten years in a wheelchair passes nearby. We all go to Pushkinskaya, and we, it seems, are already half a thousand.

“Previously, Belarus was known only because of Lukashenko, but now ...” the woman tells me.

- Previously, they knew where Lukashenko, but did not know where Belarus was. Now they know where Belarus, but they don’t know where Lukashenko is.

- Here he clung! - Another woman of pre -retirement age joins the conversation.

Next to the Pushkinskaya metro station in the shade of wood water and plastic cups - volunteers brought them. Nearby - a garbage bag attached to the tree.

There are many people on the Pushkinskaya itself. Immediately a memorial of flowers to the deceased protest participant Alexander Taraykovsky . The inputs of the subway are glued with dozens of signs - from “proud of my people” to photographs of people with blue bodies from beating.

The crowd descends and cuts into two streams inside the underground crossing under the intersection on Pushkin Avenue. In the transition of the sign, the pointer to the right is “with flowers”, the pointer to the left is “without colors”. Grandmothers in the transition now sell not only flowers, but also skein of garbage bags of 50 kopecks. We go out and see that the column is moving on two sides of the road, someone nearby sighs again: “Oh, how many drug addicts are in the country!”

We pass by the administration of the Frunzensky district and see how the guard went out onto the porch and saluts the crowd. From the scraps of conversations you can hear: "Anyone, if only not Sasha." A boy of about eight with a sign “Run, Sasha, Run” passes by.

We go up to the bridge next to the Molodezhnaya station, where the traffic police blocked the road: the pro -government rally on Independence Square ends and the motorcade will have to be made through the city, along which there are already thousands of crowds to the obelisk. At the sight of the traffic police, the crowd begins to chant "shame!" - At the same time, everyone switches only to green and only through pedestrian crossings. While we are walking along the bridge - neither the beginning of our column is no longer visible.

Behind the mother and daughter of the abyt, they talk about feminism, a couple of auto-zaks and special equipment appear ahead. The crowd is again chanting “Shame!”, The 20-year-old guy, by inertia, is trying to pull his friend into the yards, but he answers displeasedly: “They will not even stick!” No one looks frightened - autozaks, it seems, today no longer scare people. The usual commentary on their appearance: "Tired of being afraid."

The crowd chants: "Tribunal!" People in the motorcade machines are not visible because of black curtains and darkened windows. Who exactly goes to the motorcade is not clear.

“Immediately execution,” the woman comments nearby.

-No, the shooting is too simple-only the tribunal.

- I'm humane, I am for the shooting.

Auto -sounders and buses made a small circle and disappeared from sight. To the left of us, the guy knocks on the drum, on the right is the hills covered with people. On the whole parade ground in front of the steel, not counting the roadway, the white-red-white sea. And from time to time this sea begins to let the wave - as in a football match or concert.

Someone in the crowd reads the news-and says that today Lukashenko at his rally called the protesters “a bunch of youth” and “rubbish”. By this time, more than 100 thousand people have already noticeably noticeable.

A flag in balloons takes off into the sky. A white limousine passes by with a red satin ribbon along the body. An elderly woman on the balcony tirelessly waves red and white sweaters. People are protruding from cars to the waist, songs sound. In the next few hours, no one is in a hurry. People sunbathe and take pictures against the background of an endless crowd, along which a 50-meter flag “swam” towards the obelisk. First, one, followed by the second.

The crowd from time to time chants "Leave!" Someone is handing around the New Testament. On the posters "Do not forget!" And the "tribunal", and on white balls - "Ray of Light". A flag from Tikhanovskaya is carried by. Against the general background, dogs stand out - also with festive ribbons and flags.

Looking at how the rally becomes thicker and thicker, people cannot stop joking about “drug addicts”. Those who are tired of sitting under the scorching sun go into the shadow of the nearest yards. There, a portrait of Lukashenko is now flaunting on the dog walking plate. At the same time, volunteers go between people and collect garbage. When local garbage is overwhelmed, they release them and carry bags to containers.

By six o’clock in the evening, the 200 thousandth crowd begins to move to the city center. In the crowd, they say that in the direction of the KGB building and Independence Square. People are chanted: "The strike!" At the road stands a teacher of the BSU geofak, who was beaten during protests, with a bandaged head, in bruises and a torn T -shirt on which is blood. In his hands, the poster "Lukashism must be destroyed!" The letter "w" is in the form of a swastika.

In front of the bridge above the Nemiga, the crowd chants “Stand!”, And everyone else obediently stops. The road is narrowing from behind the bridge, and such a stream of people simply does not fit, you have to wait. While we are standing, people are chanting "Live Belarus!" And "dismissed." Nearby is the plate "Sasha, wake up, you are crap."

On the way to the KGB, the crowd spreads through the yards and the main streets. The air ball in the form of a mustache flies into the sky, plays “We Are the Champions”. At 19:20 opposite the special services building, a huge crowd walks along the blocked prospectus and chants “Let out!” And " Babarico !". People calmly take pictures against the background of the building - usually in such situations protesters were delayed. People with banners are sitting right on the steps. The largest - with the inscription "Power is made of black rubber."

On Independence Square, opposite the Government’s house, they chant: “Lukashenko to Autosak”. The monument to Lenin turns into an installation of poster slogans. Near the music from the column a guy is dancing in a medical mask, he has a sign in his hands: "I am a doctor, you yourself are a drug addict."

Closer to 20 o’clock, Maria Kolesnikova, the head of the headquarters of Viktor Babariko, a participant in the “Women's Triumvirate” and the comrade -in -arms of Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, appear. She goes towards the KGB building, rises to the steps, takes a loudspeaker. People are chanted: "Thank you!" Kolesnikova offers the security forces the last chance to join the peaceful Belarusian people: “Protect us, not the former president. The former president must resign. ”

In one of the houses on Independence Avenue, residents take out the speakers on the balcony and turn on "Changes!" And "we will continue to act." People stop, sing along and clap. They say that this is Open-Air, who was so lacking this summer.

About 21 hours, people begin to diverge. Continuation of protest is scheduled for tomorrow, August 17. Alexander Lukashenko plans to visit the Minsk Plant of Wheel tractors (MZKT), where he will answer workers' questions. Protesters plan to join this meeting.

Lyudmila Pogodina