SEVERAL YOUNG FRONT ACTIVISTS DETAINED AT BABRUISK ROCK CONCERT

24.10.2005.

On 21 October at about 3 p.m. a rock concert named "Rock for Beavers" was staged at the city square outside the Palace of Art in Babruisk. The concert in support of the beer "Beavers" brewed by the "Siabar" company attracted about two thousand Babruisk residents. That was not a surprising thing because the concert was anchored by the famous musician Liavon Volski, and the first group that played was the renowned group "Siabry" with Iarmolenka at the head. Famous Belarusian rock groups such as Q48 and Indiga and others, which have not shown up for anti-governmental concerts and actions, attended the concert.
64 Babruisk police that guarded the public order at the concert were joined by 26 Mahilou riot police that ringed the concert square and watched (as became obvious later) for possible "provocation by nationalist" youths.
After Liavon Volski said they hoped to stage a legal concert of their banned group next year in Babruisk, young people who had already occupied all the approaches to the stage started to chant "Long Live Belarus!". After Liavon and Q48 sang a famous Belarusian rock song, two Young Front activists Dzianis Buinitski and Siarzhuk Latsinski hoisted a white-red-white flag over the crowd.
The flag immediately kicked the Mahilou riot police into action, who assaulted the activists and pulled them out of the crowd toward the police car.
During the search in Pershamaiski District Board of Internal Affairs Dzianis Buinitski had to give up Young Front booklets, which were immediately confiscated by the local KGB head. The DBIA head told the friends of the detained guys the police would make short work of similar provocation, so they drew up a report by terms of Article 156, which identified the activists' actions as disorderly conduct punishable with 15 days in prison.
An hour later a similar action by seven Young Front activists took place at the square – four activists were detained. The guys were taken to the nearest police station to be released in three hours.
Below is the opinion provided by the deputy co-chair of the Young Front, head of the Babruisk branch of YF, Valiery Matskievich: "These detentions were very brutal and untypical of Babruisk. The reason was, according to one of the riot police officers, intensified activities of the democratic forced and, in particular, the Congress of Democratic Forces that nominated a single candidate.
During similar events in the past Young Front activists performed similar actions in the town and never faced such savage measures.
The trial over Dzianis Buinitski and Siarzhuk Latsinski, still in a cell and forbidden to accept food, will take place on 24 October.