From the presidential administration, an answer came in which it was noted that in Belarus, their actions are held on Victory Day, including "Belarus remembers!", and the Minsk City Executive Committee replied more categorically on May 7 that "it does not permit the holding of mass actions announced by you or the laying of wreaths and flowers on the territory of the city of Minsk".
This response outraged both the activists of Unity and our supporters, who were counting on taking part in the international action "Immortal Regiment". Therefore, the leaders of the Coordinating Soviet "Unity" prepared a protest statement "In connection with the ban by the Minsk authorities of holding an international action in the hero city of Minsk, the procession of the" Immortal Regiment" and was sent to the presidential administration and to the main mass media outlets.
The statement noted, "The action of the "Immortal Regiment" is an international action. The memory of this knows no borders and is wider than the state borders of the republic. The movement "Immortal Regiment", originated in neighbouring Russia, unites people in a single sense of gratitude to the vicotrs over fascism almost all over the world, covering 84 states at the last count. We believe that Victory was One for All, and it can not be taken away by national territories ...
The actions of the "Immortal Regiment" provide for the mandatory use of the Victory symbols - the Red Banner, hoisted over defeated Berlin, and the Guards (St. George's) ribbon. It was under these symbols that our grandfathers and great-grandfathers fought against fascism. All other symbols under which Soviet soldiers did not fight, in this solemn event are unacceptable. "
Many websites distributed this statement with the headline "In Minsk, they banned the holding of the "Immortal Regiment" action. They also spread the message that the organizers of the action, despite the ban, decided to hold the planned march. Of course, such anti-advertising did not suit the authorities of Belarus, where one in three of its inhabitants perished in the last war. The image of the opponents-bans of the international patriotic action on Victory Day was completely unnecessary to them.
Therefore, on May 8, the authors of the application for holding the action "Immortal Regiment" in Minsk were invited to a conversation in the Minsk City Executive Committee, where they were personally received by the Chairman of the Minsk City Executive Committee A. Shorets with deputies and heads of departments. As a result of constructive negotiations, the parties reached a mutually acceptable agreement, according to which the participants of the "Immortal Regiment" would first march the "Immortal Regiment" to Victory Square, and then, after reaching the square, they will join the state event dedicated to Victory Day.
On May 9 at 10.00, about a 1500 people gathered in front of the building of the Belarusian State Philharmonic Society (according to our data, twice as many actually attended). Among the gathered were people of different ages, there were many young people and children. In their hands were portraits of the participants of the Great Patriotic War, in the design of which there was a feeling of pride for their relatives.
The Bolsheviks came with the standard of the AUCPB, portraits of V.I.Lenin and J.V. Stalin, the banners of the USSR and the BSSR, banners "Glory to the Red Army!", "Our cause is right - victory will be ours! - J.V. Stalin" and the "All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks) - the organizer and inspirer of the Victory of the Soviet people" as well as a copy of the Banner of Victory.
The mood of the audience was high-spirited, wartime songs were sung during the procession, including "Katyusha", "Ris up, the country is huge," "Gunners, Stalin has given the order", etc. People on the sidewalk sang and cheered the participants in the procession.
However, it was not without problems: law enforcement agencies near Victory Square installed turnstiles with metal detectors and demanded that each of the many thousands of columns pass through them. But due to the small number of turnstiles a huge queue formed, because of this, some elderly people lost consciousness in the sun.
At the end of the state event, the participants of the numerous marches were not allowed directly onto Victory Square, but forced to get to it by pass through an underground passway, creating a crush threatening the safety of citizens.
And before that, after the solemn laying of a wreath at the Victory Monument, the President of Belarus answered the questions of the journalists who had gathered. Concerning the topic of the ban on the procession of the Immortal Regiment, he said: "In Belarus, no one has ever forbidden or banned the sacred. ... But if people ask to go through with portraits, flags and so on, next year we will organize it ... This is great, it's sacred. This will always be the case in Belarus." (It seems that we, the organizers of the "Immortal Regiment" in Minsk, have themselves invented the negative response of the Minsk City Executive Committee.) - V. Zelikov).
After laying flowers, participants of the "Immortal Regiment" gathered on the steps of the Victory Monument, were photographed against its background and sang military songs again.
After that, the members of the AUCPB and our supporters set up a stall in front of the Victory Monument entitled the "Bolshevik line" with attributes brought and continued to work among the assembled people. They distributed the leaflets of the Central Committee of the AUCPB "Happy Victory Day" to those who came to Victory Square and distributed the newspapers Bolshevik Sickle and Hammer, Revolution and Vperyod.
Thus, despite the obstacles of bourgeois power, the procession of the "Immortal Regiment" in Minsk on Victory Day still took place. Moreover, thanks to the attributes of the AUCPB, the leaflets and newspapers of the action were given a political direction of adherence to Soviet ideals. The media of the Belarusian nationalists on this occasion were furious, slinging mud at the Bolshevik activists who held portraits of V.I. Lenin and J.V. Stalin.
We hope that the successful holding of the "Immortal Regiment" action in Minsk will help strengthen the friendship of the peoples of Belarus and Russia and accelerate the creation of their own Union State.
V.Zelikov
