5 weeks of Belarus Protest. Summary
1. Self-organising
Key development of the week - growth of local self-organising. The protest groups are now present in 750 locations. In Minsk, there are at least 15 spots with everyday protest activity. All are coordinated through Telegram
2.Symbols
An amazing consequence of this localisation and self-organisation of the movement is the emergence of an array of local symbols. Now even small suburbs in Minsk and other places have self-designed protest flags and logos:
3.Demos
Familiar but less intense protest schedule:
Mon-Fri: smaller demos in main cities
Sat: Women marches
Sun: Large demos (more than 5% of Minsk population)
Police brutality intensifies, protesters respond with more creative action. Separate activity by students, workers
4. Opposition leadership
5th week proved that anyone who is getting recognised as a public leader shall either leave the country or be ready to go to prison
Anonymous Telegram admins continue to coordinate everyday action, while symbolic leaders remain abroad or in prison
5.Strikes
We don't hear much about worker action anymore except for rumours of "Italian" strikes: slowing down production process by following norms precisely. This non-public form is def favoured by the gov as no one can really see it
6.Other forms of protest:
-A hacker group "Cyber guerillas" emerged (see logo). It claims responsibility for taking down a number of gov websites and threatens to destroy the e-taxation services
-Unmasking the police - Officers are afraid to face people without masks
This week's agenda:
-This Sunday - "Global day of solidarity with Belarus"
-As at least 3 ppl died and more than 400 tortured since the protest started, many would expect a formal (international?) investigation into police action. This idea gathers support in Europe
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