It Is Enough To Be A Man And Love Belarus
- Natallia Radzina
- 5.11.2021, 20:33
Who will defend the country?
I was born in Kobrin. There was a lore there that during the uprising of 1863, when the rebels drove the Russian invaders out of the town, the head of the restored government of the Republic of Poland, Romuald Traugutt, located his headquarters in the so called Suvorov's house. Kobrin together with its inhabitants was presented to the bloody Russian generalissimo by Catherine the Great for the Third Partition of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth - the common state of Poles, Belarusians, Lithuanians and Ukrainians - and the insurgents tried to restore justice. So, being a Western Belarusian, I have always been surprised that the cadet school of Belarus is named after Suvorov.
Yesterday, when the Shklou impostor signed decrees on giving up the country to Russia, I was astonished by the absence of a harsh reaction from the Belarusian society and people who call themselves leaders. Signing of documents that are most dangerous for the independence of the country was called by many people as meaningless papers. Only two organizations - the Belarusian Association of Workers and the European Belarus civil campaign - reacted promptly and harshly. It is not good to calm ourselves down by saying that Lukashenka is illegitimate, because tomorrow Russia can start bringing its troops in, deploying military bases, and seizing the property on the basis of these papers.
In 2020, the whole world saw that we are a nation, ready to fight for freedom. Yes, thousands of people went to jail, tens of thousands were forced to leave the country. But I do not believe that millions of Belarusians, who voted against Lukashenka and came out to protests in all cities and towns of Belarus, have put up with it and no longer want to live in a free and independent state.
After Belarus is given up to Russia, life in the country will not get better. On the contrary, following the "optimization" already declared at the enterprises, one can expect bankruptcy of the factories, mass dismissals of workers, and their sale to Russian criminal oligarchs.
Ukraine could defend it self in such a situation only by giving a serious answer to its impudent "brothers". Who will defend Belarus? Belarusian workers, in order to defend their independence, called upon all citizens to join the General Strike. It makes sense: why do the Russians need a striking country?
This step is certainly appropriate, but is it enough? It is important to bring all patriotic forces together to defend the sovereignty of Belarus by all possible means, as stipulated by the Constitution. And it makes no difference whether you are an IT specialist, a simple worker or a soldier. It's enough to be a man and to love Belarus.
Natallia Radzina, editor-in-chief of Charter97.org