Riga, August 20, LETA. On the anniversary of the historic Baltic Way, on August 23, events in support of Belarus will take place in Latvia and elsewhere in the world, Kristīne Zonberga, Director of the Latvian Civic Alliance, informed LETA.
After the march Meikšāni – Piedruja on the night of August 23, the main event of the campaign will take place at 12 in Piedruja, Krāslava region. This place is special because the Latvian village of Piedruja and the Belarusian Druja are separated only by the Daugava. The event will create a symbolic chain of people and raise the Belarusian white-red and white flag, which will be carried by the participants of the campaign from the Austra tree in Meikšāni to Piedruja along the Belarusian border for more than 70 kilometers.
Elsewhere in Latvia at 12 noon, people are invited to form symbolic chains, thus supporting the people of Belarus. In Riga, a chain of people is planned from the Freedom Monument to the People’s Front Museum.
“Latvia’s strength is the local communities, our people. We know how to help a neighbor at home, but this time the neighbor is beyond the border. In this situation we cannot knock on the door and offer hot tea for support, but we can show solidarity and agree on the support of the Belarusian people.” Zonberg commented, calling to remember “how important such support was for us in the struggle for independence” and to give our strength to make it resonate with Belarus.
Participants of the event are invited to capture the photo or video of the campaign by publishing on social networks and using the common theme of the international campaign “#FreedomWay”.
After the symbolic actions in Latvia, some participants will continue their journey to the Lithuanian capital Vilnius to join the largest Baltic solidarity event and help build a chain of people from Vilnius to the Belarusian border.
Participants of the “Baltic Way to Freedom for Belarus” events are invited to take the white-red and white Belarusian flags, Latvian flags and dress in white clothes.
Similar solidarity actions will take place on August 23 in Estonia, Ukraine, Georgia, Great Britain, Italy and elsewhere in the world. The Latvian diaspora is also invited to participate.
The events are organized in compliance with all epidemiological safety conditions and using face masks in the territory of Lithuania.
The “Baltic Way” campaign took place on August 23, 1989, when more than two million Latvians, Lithuanians and Estonians joined hands in a 600-kilometer-long chain through the Baltic States, affirming unity in the struggle for freedom.
Protests against the falsification of the August 9 presidential election and authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko, who have often escalated into protests in clashes with security forces, have already been reported in Belarus. Thousands have been detained and several hundred injured in protests. Workers in many state-owned companies have gone on strike.
According to official results, Lukashenko, who has been in power since 1994, won 80.1% of the vote, while opposition candidate Svetlana Tikhanovska won 10.1%, but the opposition believes the election results were rigged and that Tikhanovska won the election convincingly. called for new elections. German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced on Wednesday after the European Union summit that the European Union countries do not recognize the election results.
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