Belarus. PrayForParis (photo)

On the night of 13th-14th of November this hashtag became one of the top in social networks. Belarusians are solidary with France offline, too. On the morning of November 14 Belarusans were bringing f

Awful news from France didn’t pass Belarusan society by. Paris is a city-carnival; a city that everyone knows about even if not personally – through literature, movies, music, even through standard images like coffee and croissants in bohemian cafes. Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité... And suddenly – news about explosions, shootings, Facebook statuses “safe”, constantly changing information about the number of killed, statement about the war made by François Hollande, statement of ISIL about the holy war against “crusader’s France”, Obama’s statement about any possible help to France, condolences of the heads of state and common people from all over the world.

From the early morning on November 14 that was dark, windy, and rainy, Belarusans were coming to the French Embassy. Candles, flowers, pictures with #PrayForParis. Militia is polite, but doesn’t allow making pictures and videos of the Embassy’s building; there is an announcement at the door of the diplomatic mission about the possibility to leave a note in the condolences book on Monday, November 16. Candles and flowers are not only at the ground, but also at the windowsills of the Embassy’s building in Voli Square, 11.

Those, who came to commemorate the memory of the victims of terrorism and show solidarity with the French told “EuroBelarus” Information Service about their former and future trips to Paris, about the irreversible change of the image of Paris that will never be the same, about non-understanding of how to live now – when even at a rock-concert you might turn into one of the executed, punished for the unknown blame. There were also aggressive comments: “poor people, but it’s their own fault” – meaning “too liberal” attitude of France towards the Muslim migrants. But there are few such comments – 1:10.

Opinions of Belarusans on Facebook

Uladzimir Matskevich, philosopher and methodologist, the head of the Board of the International Consortium “EuroBelarus”: the creeping, distributed war, stupidly cruel, and meaningless. This war has many reasons, but the main one is perversion of conscience of executioners, victims, those, who rule the world, and those, who are trying to find a place in it. Today Paris is the whole world. Today the whole world is Paris.

Ulad Vialichka, the head of the International Consortium “EuroBelarus”: it is impossible to imagine, how can those, who call themselves people, plan and realize all the inhuman deeds. My heart and mind are with Paris, France, Europe, and the whole civilized world. Meaningless and bloody terrorism should parish forever in the 21^st century. Friends, those, who have a chance, honour the memory of the victims, bring flowers to the French Embassy in Minsk in the Voli Square. For our and your Freedom!

Yury Zisser, the founder of the tut.by portal: May terrorism be cursed, whatever are its inspirations.

Mikalai Statkevich, presidential candidate 2010, ex-political prisoner: I believe that the French nation will turn to the example of glorious heroes of the past and find strength to pass through this ordeal with honor, without sacrificing its own principles and ideals. The organizers of the slaughter have no place around the living people. France, we are with you today!

Aliaksandr Jarashuk, the head of the Belarusian Congress Of Democratic Trade Unions (BCDTU): around 3 p.m. I went to the French Embassy and dropped in on the flower shop at Niamiha. The sellers immediately guessed, why I needed flowers and told that they don’t remember when they had such demand for flowers last time. Indeed, despite the unstoppable rain, people approached the French Embassy from different directions to show solidarity with France and the French in the tragedy – terrorist attack, which led to numerous deaths of innocent people.

According to the latest data, in result of a series of terroristic attacks in Paris at least 129 are dead.