PROTEST

PROTEST 'Happy birthday, rats': Tens of thousands flock to the streets of Minsk, demanding Lukashenko's resignation Lukashenko has not given up his 26-year rule and has been seen with an automatic rifle next to his residence for the second weekend Writes: HinaPosted: August 30, 2020 9:56 pm Protest in Minsk Protest in Minsk - / TUT.BY / AFP Facebook Twitter Messenger E-mail RELATED NEWS Protest in Minsk BELARUS Numerous people arrested in new protests against Lukashenko, security forces attacked protesters GLOBE ANALYSIS The Great Power Games around Belarus: For the West, Lukashenko is the former, now everyone is waiting for Putin's move Tens of thousands of Belarusian protesters rallied in the streets of Minsk on Sunday demanding the resignation of authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko, who is celebrating his 66th birthday, and some arrived in front of his residence singing "Happy Birthday, Rats." Lukashenko, who turned 66 on Sunday, is not giving up on the 26-year-old government, and for the second weekend he was seen armed with an automatic rifle next to his residence, according to a photo by the Russian news agency RIA, Reuters writes. Protests and strikes have been going on for weeks since Lukashenko won the Aug. 9 election with 80 percent of the vote opponents say were rigged, and he dismisses accusations and accuses protesters, whom he called "rats," of wanting to topple him led by the West. Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated his colleague on his birthday and invited him to visit Moscow, a sign that the Kremlin is ready to support the Belarusian president in the face of unrest in the country and the threat of Western sanctions. Tens of thousands of protesters flocked to central Minsk on Sunday afternoon with balloons, flowers and Belarusian flags that were a symbol of anti-government protests for a short period in the early 1990s. Some women lay down on the road in front of a cordon of intervention police officers. Protesters then marched on Lukashenko's residence surrounded by a wall and security forces. Police in riot gear stormed a rally on Friday, removing hundreds of protesters by truck. Presidential adviser Nikolai Latyshenko ruled out the possibility of any negotiations with the opposition and claimed that according to his belief, only 20 to 30 percent of Belarusians are against Lukashenko, Russian agencies reported. A1, one of the largest mobile operators in Belarus, announced that it has reduced the capacity of broadband internet at the request of the government. Putin's support Belarus is Russia's closest ally of all the states and territories of the former Soviet Union. In a strong message of support, Putin said on Thursday that he had set up a reserve police force that could come to Lukashenko's aid if riots in the country spiral out of control. "A meeting has been arranged in Moscow in the coming weeks," the Kremlin said in a statement following Putin's phone call on Sunday. The results of the presidential election were also rejected by the European Union, which is preparing sanctions against senior Belarusian government officials. The EU has called on Alexander Lukashenko to engage in dialogue with the opposition, but he refuses to make any concessions and condemns the "Western conspiracy" he says intends to overthrow him. The opposition, led by Svetlana Tihanovska, who fled to Lithuania for fear, staged two large protests on August 16th and 23rd, and the first protests after the August 9th elections were forcibly suppressed, killing three people, dozens more. injured and more than 7,000 protesters arrested. Journalists working in Belarus are under pressure and arrests. On Saturday, Belarusian authorities without explanation withdrew accreditations to journalists for foreign media such as AFP, AP, BBC and Radio Liberty. Svetlana Tikhanovska condemned the "moral bankruptcy" of a regime that lives on "fear and intimidation". Germany, which currently holds the presidency of the European Union, has announced it will invite the Belarusian ambassador for the withdrawal of journalistic accreditations, which Berlin calls "unacceptable". Lukashenko, in turn, threatened on Friday that if sanctions were imposed, he would cut off European transit routes through his country. Hundreds of athletes, including Olympic medalists, have announced a call for new elections on sports websites.