English

At least several people grabbed by police during parade amid tight security

At least several people were grabbed by plainclothesmen during an Independence Day parade attended by Alyaksandr Lukashenka in Minsk on July 3.

A BelaPAN reporter saw three people being picked out from the crowd by athletic men dressed in tracksuits after the former started clapping their hands during Mr. Lukashenka's opening speech.

Minutes before the speech, two more young men observing the event were told by a police officer to follow him into a police vehicle for a passport check.

The event took place amid unprecedented security and a heavy presence of police officers and plainclothesmen who infiltrated the crowd, as the authorities made an all-out effort to prevent any protests during the carefully rehearsed event.

The leaders of an online campaign called "Revolution through Social Networks" had urged people to join the crowd during the parade and clap their hands throughout Mr. Lukashenka's speech to display their discontent with his rule.

All people heading to the rain-soaked area around the Minsk Hero City obelisk - the venue of the parade - were searched and had to walk through metal detectors, as well as were filmed by police officers. Some were warned against violating public order.

Mr. Lukashenka made his traditionally combative speech in silence and no applause was heard. Eyewitnesses said that most members of the crowd were not listening.

When reached by BelaPAN, Alyaksandr Lastowski, spokesman for the Minsk city police department, said that the event had passed off without any incidents. He said that he had no information about any arrests made during the event.

In an interview with BelaPAN, Vyachaslaw Dziyanaw, a leader of the online campaign, acknowledged that the protest plans had failed but said that more "silent" protests scheduled to be held in Minsk on Sunday would go ahead as planned.