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Security Council states youth and Internet are getting “politicized”

2010 2010-08-04T17:02:13+0300 1970-01-01T03:00:00+0300 en The Human Rights Center “Viasna” The Human Rights Center “Viasna”
The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

In the magazine “Belaruskaya Dumka” (A Belarusian Thought) Top Advisor of the State Secretariat of the Security Council Ihar Paddubski has published an article “Some aspects of radical formations’ activities”.

“Despite of a low popularity of radical ideas among the young, none of the really active unregistered structures have stopped its activities voluntarily. More than 10 youth radical formations continue their functioning in the country,” writes an expert on political extremis, and theoretical and practical aspects of counterterrorism, how the author was presented by the magazine.

Among the radical groups named by the representative of the Security Council are the Young Front, Moladz BNF, Young Belarus, Young Democrats, Young Social Democrats, or broadly speaking almost all oppositional youth structures.

“Belarusian partisan” website offers quotes from this article:

“Protest rallies continue to remain the main public element of work of the youth politicized groups.

Simultaneously with continuing street rallies, the radical youth is more and more actively starts to tackle other forms and methods of political struggle with the use of modern PR technologies. Despite of the fact that most projects of the youth radical formations are nothing more than declarations, a rather creative nature of efforts of young radicals deserve attention. Thus, in winter 2009 three campaigns were carried out at the same time: against construction of a nuclear power plant, deterioration of socio-economical situation and “For professional army”. In spring they made a stand against the dialogue between Belarus and the European Union and spoke in support of “political prisoners”. In January 2010 in connection with imposing customs duties on import of passenger cars by legal entities, young activists of the organizing committee for creation of the Belarusian Christian Democratic party shot a short film “A fairy-tale about automobile industry”.

The radical youth is more and more draw into realization of initiatives touching upon vital spheres of the society’s life… It is noteworthy that part of the youth radical formations’ core groups are gradually moving from a harsh criticism against the authorities to more subtle methods, for instance, support to some moves of the government in the socio-economic sphere is stated…

Against this background, a fast-moving politicization of the youth Internet is alarming. Oppositional sentiments are more and more visible there. Active members of the youth radical formations diligently learn ground-breaking informational and communication technologies, and during foreign seminars as well, they constantly master their skills of work in the World Wide Web. Internet is used for discussing plans and results of street rallies, activities of law-enforcing agencies, stimulating discussions on socio-political situation and a search for like-minded people. The cyberspace is often used for exerting pressure on state agencies, certain civil servants and for demonstration of solidarity with their colleagues, brought to responsibility for violations of public order. That is not by accident that development of social networks in the Internet meets keen interest. From the point of view of political technologies they are a unique and universal instrument for uniting unfamiliar persons. It is remarkable that this technology was used by Moldovan opposition for preparing mass riots in Chisinau in spring 2009.

Statements about necessity to unite national democratic youth with the aim to create a common position in the run-up to the presidential elections have become heard more and more often from young radicals.

It is important to take into account that as weak as youth radical formations may be, their possibilities should not be underestimated. Practically all of them are supports of “colour revolutions”, and their ambitions mostly rest on changes of the constitutional system and its replacement by a regime analogous to “western democracies”. In other words, their aim is not a reform, but a revolution, which is to resolve all problems “at once”.

It should be noted that over the long period of resistance to the authorities, a class of ambitious, rather experienced young politicians has grown. A number of former and current leaders of youth radical formations have a rich experience of participation in election campaigns.

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