Over 300 detained in Belarus during protests against leader

apnews.com ^ | 12/6/2020 | AP

[ransomnote]

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — More than 300 people were detained in the Belarusian capital on Sunday, where crowds of people took to the streets for the 18th consecutive weekend, demanding the ouster of the country’s authoritarian leader who won a sixth term in office in an election widely seen as rigged.

Thousands of people Sunday took part in dozens of small rallies scattered all over Minsk, the Belarusian capital — a new tactic the opposition employed instead of one large gathering to make it harder for the security forces to target the protesters.

“We believe! We can! We will win!” the demonstrators chanted. Several people wore Santa Claus costumes and masks depicting President Alexander Lukashenko. “Give Belarusians a gift: go away,” a banner they carried read.

Police in Minsk said they detained more than 300 people. The Viasna human rights group released the names of 215 people detained in Minsk and other cities, where rallies also took place.

Mass protests have rocked Belarus, a former Soviet republic in eastern Europe, since official results from the Aug. 9 presidential election gave Lukashenko a landslide victory over his widely popular opponent, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya. She and her supporters refused to recognize the result, saying the vote was riddled with fraud.

Authorities have cracked down hard on the largely peaceful demonstrations, the biggest of which attracted up to 200,000 people. Police used stun grenades, tear gas and truncheons to disperse the rallies

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[dfwgator]

Wait a minute, I thought according to the AP, elections can’t be rigged.

[mylife]

Mayhem in Minsk?

[Long Jon No Silver]

AP rules for election fraud.
1. If the incumbent is a leftist and the challenger is a non leftist, than fraud is impossible.
2. If the incumbent is a non leftist and the challenger is a leftist, than fraud is impossible only if your name is Donald Trump

3. If the incumbent is a non leftist whose name isn’t Donald Trump and the challenger is a leftist than fraud is a certainty

[MAGAthon]

always telling which elections FakeNewsMSM decides are rigged.

BBC does a daily countdown on Belarus. 100-plus days they are up to now, trying to have Lukashenko kicked out.

Beeb uses exactly the same loaded language as AP - even tho protests have petered out, and BBC’s audience couldn’t care less about who did or didn’t win anyway.

[AdmSmith]

Saturday night conspiracy theory. On Monday or Tuesday Lukashenka will announce plans to “join Belarus and Russia”. On Wednesday addressing Federal Assembly, Putin will mark a begging of a “historical process that will bring brotherly nations together”. No more Belarus.

Commenting on “assassination attempt” on April 17 Lukashenka says it was sanctioned by the US. In parallel, FSB arrests a group of “revolutionaries” who’ve allegedly planned a revolt in Minsk on May 9th! Victory Day no less (Nazi re-do, I suppose). Lukashenka then goes on about a “principal decision”, biggest in his carrier. What could it be? Putin, on the other hand, is the supposed to give “an address of a new time”. Whatever that means. On April 22nd L and P meet in Moscow for a serious talk.

And also do not forget that “half” of the Russian army is on its western border. I hope this is all nonsense but I never thought FBK would be on a verge of being equated with Third Reich while Navalny is dying in prison. Things change.
https://twitter.com/ABarbashin/status/1383560907079385090

A good joke, but unfortunately it might be more than a joke.