Actions Dedicated to Anniversary of Referendum
On 14 May 1995 the national white-red-white flag and Pahonia emblem were replaced with new variants of the Soviet-time state symbols. On 14 May 2006 in Minsk, during the celebration of the official ?#152;Day of State Flag and Emblem’ youth activists carried out a number of actions devoted to this change.
The activists of unregistered organizations Young Front and BPF Youth and participants of flash-mobs cleaned the graves at Maskouskia and Vaiskovyia cemeteries. They decorated the graves of the Belarusian writers Vasil Bykau, Ivan Chyhrynau, Uladzimir Karatkevich and Mikhail Tkachou with white-red-white stripes and flowers. In Horki Park several families walked with their children, wearing badges ?#152;For Freedom’ and white-red-white scarves. Their children held white-red-white flags in their hands. Some youngsters tied white-red-white stripes to trees and buildings in the center of Minsk.
At 7 p.m. the city administration organized the official celebration near the Sports Palace. People with the official red-green flags were guarded by the riot police and secret services. The riot police detained several persons who had badges ?#152;For Freedom’ and white-red-white stripes on. They took the detainees to a police station and kept there for more than three hours. The youngsters were released only after the policemen put down their passport data.
In the center of Salihorsk people tied a large white-red-white flag to balloons with helium and flew it to the sky. Another white-red-white flag was hanged out opposite Salihorsk City Executive Committee. The police tried to detain one of the witnesses of this action, Uladzimir Shyla. Another witness, Uladzimir Harelik, was taken to a police station and kept there for four hours on accusation of swearing.
