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Chernobyl Path - 2016: People refused to go into the lock-up (PHOTO)

28.04.2016  |  Society
Chernobyl Path - 2016: People refused to go into the lock-up (PHOTO)

On April 26 the traditional procession in memory of the Chernobyl disaster took place in Minsk.

The rally, which is timed to the 30th anniversary of the disaster, was sanctioned by Minsk City Executive Committee. The government authorized the march from the "Kastrychnik" cinema to the Chernobyl chapel opposite the park of Friendship of Peoples and the rally. However, later it turned out that there were some adjustments to the plan.

At ten to six near the "Kastrychnik” cinema the crowd started raising flags and unfolding banners and posters. It looked like there were few people, mostly youth, but there were also middle-aged men with the signs of liquidators and regular participants of opposition demonstrations.

- I have a friend, a liquidator; he was at the station during the emergency, on the roof, helping to save the country. The authorities never recalled him; but all of sudden called him and offered help. So he wrote a corresponding letter, and the reply to it was: "Let your children help you." They probably wanted to demonstrate that the state cares about him, - one of the participants of the event told the “EuroBelarus” Information Service.

Meanwhile, people began shouting "Long Live Belarus!" and "Astravets is the second Chernobyl".

- I was at Fukushima, now I’m going to Astravets. I hope not to get there, - suddenly confessed a guy dressed as "death."

Among the crowd people with ballot boxes for donations were running; a few people were collecting signatures against the construction of the Astravets NPP.

 - The first ten years we were trying to fight with the consequences of the Chernobyl disaster, then a different policy was chosen: to forget about this problem, to restore the contaminated lands. But this seal cannot be forgotten, - the co-chairman of the Belarusian Christian Democracy (PCD) party Paval Sieviarynec believes. - At the same time it was a chance for Belarus to understand something. But have we understood it? I think it hasn’t happened yet.

The politician believes that it’s wrong to start using the contaminated lands. He suggested the authorities to build a residence there and live there with a family in order to set an example to people.

 - Clearly, no one would believe the authorities. Belarusians will still have to realize what Chernobyl is. One thousand, two thousand, even fifty thousand people taking part in Chernobyl Path is not enough to shake the whole nation, - Paval Sieviarynec said to "EuroBelarus".

But is there any real effect from the Chernobyl Path, apart from the symbolic meaning and memory of the tragedy? We asked on the organizers of the event Yury Meliashkevich about it.

- Of course, the problem of radiation as a result of the tragedy remains. The memory about it should stay in the society. The authorities are silent about it. Therefore, the duty of the nation and its active citizens is to recall it, to demand action to solve it, - the activist assumes.

Iryna Sukhij, the head of the “Eco House” public organization, came to the demonstration together with her colleagues.

 - Chernobyl hasn’t ended; it will continue for years to come. And we shouldn’t conceal problems, but, instead, educate the society, say what should be done in order to stay healthy. It is necessary to make diagnostics and mammography available – now one can wait it for a year in contaminated areas. Children in school are taught to use condoms, but are not taught radiological safety, and this is a big problem. The construction of nuclear power plant is a future danger; it is unclear for whom Belarus constructs it, if it is inefficient both economically and environmentally, - the ecologist said.

Finally, the participants marched. Though at first it seemed that there were few people, but soon the number of demonstrators exceeded half a thousand.

On their way to the Chernobyl chapel the demonstrators were met with a fence of turnstiles, a platoon of militia with metal detectors and tables for checkouts. A few people willingly went to the militia, unbuttoning backpacks as they went. But the rest of the column rebelled: people refused to go into the lock-up.

 - I've lived up to that age for the riot squads to screen me? I won’t go, – said in indignation a constant participant of all rallies since the 90s, surrounded by the BPF Youth. The head of the Belarusian Christian Democracy Vital Rymasheuski tried to calm her down, but got a rebuff.

- Why should we go to the chapel through metal detectors? We don’t enter churches through metal detectors, do we? - another woman shouted.

The members of the organizing committee tried to convince people to go through the fence to the chapel, but haven’t received support and decided not to force people to enter the lock-up.

- The participants don’t want to go through the fence that symbolizes the slavish humiliating regime, - Vital Rymasheuski told the reporters. – We had an agreement with the Minsk militia that there will be no fences, so this is a violation of a prior agreement.

- We should have enough pride, be strong till the end and not go there. We can pray and lay flowers here or come back tomorrow, when there will be no one. We should have principles, - said the Catholic missionary Yulia Frolova.

The participants of the rally honored the memory of the victims of Chernobyl with the minute’s silence and lit candles. Some laid flowers and candles under the chapel. Some sang "God Almighty" and gradually started to disperse.

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