‘European Belarus’ activists get arrested for handing out porridge

On 11 January activists of the civil campaign European Belarus unfurled a poster Crisis came to country! Handout! and brought a 25-liter pot of buckwheat porridge near Kamarouski Market of Minsk.

The activists were handing out plastic plates with porridge to all comers. They said people there’s lack of food in the country due to the habitat policy of the authorities, so such ‘field kitchens’ were organized.

Most passers-by approved the street action and ate porridge, but some people didn’t manage to try food. The action was stopped by the policemen who were called up by the market security service. Three participants of the action, Palina Kuryianovich, Aleh Ladutska and Maxim Viniarski, were detained and guarded to the police department. 15 liters of porridge were seized. The policemen said there were many hungry people in the country and the porridge would be given to soldiers of internal affairs, patrolling the district. The oppositionists were released two hours after the detention.