DRAMA IN MINSK

DRAMA IN MINSK New protests against Lukashenko, watch the intervention police drag people into vans Protesters chanted "Deceivers!" and "Holy is our president!", referring to Svetlana Tihanovska Writes: HinaPosted: September 27, 2020 6:50 pm 8871923 TUT.BY/AFP Facebook Twitter Messenger E-mail Intervention police officers dragged people into vans and fired shock bombs and tear gas to disperse tens of thousands of protesters who demonstrated for the seventh consecutive weekend, asking Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko to step down. Unidentified people detain people on Gorodetskaya Street in Minsk. pic.twitter.com/DAoy9B0bIO - TUT.BY (@tutby) September 27, 2020 Security forces detain a man in the cafe "Dodo Pizza" on Uruchye. pic.twitter.com/RtVMnzEgGe - TUT.BY (@tutby) September 27, 2020 Protesters chanted "Deceivers!" and "Holy is our president!", referring to Svetlana Tihanovska as they marched through the streets of Minsk and other cities adorned with the red and white colors of the opposition. Human rights activists said at least 53 people had been detained. Some called the protest a "people's inauguration" of Svetlana Tihanovska, Lukashenko's main opponent who fled abroad after the August 9th elections. Lukashenko's opponents believe the election was rigged to give the incumbent a sixth term. image AFP Lukashenko denies any election fraud and was sworn in on Wednesday without any prior announcement, sparking new protests and condemnation from the European Union, the United States and Britain. Intervention police on Sunday 'pulled' individuals from the crowd and dragged them into their vans, an eyewitness told Reuters. RELATED NEWS Protest in Minsk CONTINUATION OF THE CRISIS Large protests are expected in Minsk after Lukashenko's unannounced inauguration MORE PERSONS ARRESTED New arrests in Belarus, women on the streets of Minsk lead peaceful protests Several subway stations were blocked at the same time, and there was a disruption in the mobile network. Some protesters wore fake crowns, mocking Lukashenko's inauguration. A column of protesters goes in the rain to Uruchye. pic.twitter.com/bh9sOIakL7 - TUT.BY (@tutby) September 27, 2020 "We came here to celebrate the people's inauguration of the people's president," said 30-year-old Alexander , one of the protesters in Minsk. "Lukashenko first faked the election and then the inauguration." image TUT.BY/AFP image AFP Police said they used tear gas and shock bombs to disperse "disobedient" protesters in the eastern city of Gomel, Russia's TASS news agency reported. The Belarusian government usually publishes data on the total number of arrests the day after the protests. Russia's Interfax news agency reported that at least ten people had been detained at the start of Sunday's rally. According to the interior ministry, police detained 150 protesters during yesterday's protest.