Tens of thousands of Lithuanians joined hands on Sunday to form a human chain of solidarity with protesters in neighboring Belarus, who have rallied en masse against President Alexander Lukashenko since the disputed presidential election on August 9.
The participants formed a human chain that stretched some 30 kilometers from the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, to the border with Belarus. Many of them waved the red and white flag of the Belarusian opposition, as well as the tricolor Lithuanian flag.
Solidarity gatherings have also been organized in other European countries, inspired by the Baltic Way, the historic human chain formed on August 23, 1989 by more than a million people across the three Baltic countries, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, to express their desire for independence and to leave the Soviet Union.
“We are with you free Belarus and we extend our hand to you,” Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said after joining the human chain at the border post between the two countries.
“The countries that have lost their freedom cherish it the most. That is why Lithuania has not hesitated to proclaim its full support for the people of Belarus who seek to break the chains of captivity,” added the president, who took part in the Baltic Way in 1989.
Organizers estimated that nearly 50,000 people attended the rally in Lithuania, most dressed in white and wearing masks to protect themselves against the coronavirus.
A hot air balloon unfurled a huge Belarusian flag over Cathedral Square in Vilnius. Planes also flew over the rally, throwing flowers at the crowd.
“Thirty years ago Lithuania was fighting and needed support. Today we are the ones providing the support,” Adele Sumkauskaite, a 24-year-old art student, told AFP.
“We need solidarity between us. It’s hard to say what good this will bring, but moral support is very important,” said Zina Koncaitiene, a 50-year-old bookseller.
– “Chain of friendship” –
In Latvia, hundreds of demonstrators marched along the border with Belarus before forming a human chain in the village of Piedruja under the gaze of Belarusian border guards stationed on the other side of the Daugava, the river that separates the two countries.
“This is our Baltic way of expressing solidarity with all the people in Belarus who are calling for pro-democracy change,” Latvian activist Inese Vaivare said.
Further human chains were planned in the Estonian capital, Tallinn, and along the famous Charles Bridge in Prague.
The human chain of the Baltic Way, in 1989, had extended for 600 km and sent an extremely strong signal, that the Baltic countries were determined to gain their independence from the former USSR, which they obtained two years later.
Sunday’s initiative reflects Lithuania’s efforts to mobilize international support for its eastern neighbor. Vilnius hosted Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who had to flee her country after the contested presidential election on August 9.
In a video speech, the 37-year-old English teacher, who had come forward against President Lukashenko, thanked Lithuania.
“You, more than anyone, can understand Belarusians because you recently experienced it,” she said. “I hope that very soon we will form together, not a chain of solidarity, but a chain of friendship with a free Belarus,” she added.
Lithuania and Belarus have close historical ties that date back to the 14th century, but have followed different paths since the breakup of the USSR.
Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia are now firmly anchored in the West, members of the European Union and NATO since 2004, but Belarus, ruled since Alexander Lukashenko for 26 years with the support of Moscow, has become one of the most isolated countries in Europe.
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