Huge protest in Minsk as thousands demand the end to Alexander Lukashenko's premiership

Hundreds of thousands of people filled the city centre of the Belarusian capital of Minsk, demanding an end to the reign of President Alexander Lukashenko in the largest political rally the country has ever seen. 

Dressed in white and chanting ‘Go Away!’, crowds poured into the streets despite an earlier public appearance by Mr Lukashenko warning of a still more ferocious crackdown on protesters. 

“The dam has burst,” a smiling Andrei Grinberg told the Telegraph, wrapped in the historic red-and-white flag used by opposition supporters amid a sea of fellow demonstrators. 

“People were unhappy before but it’s only now that they’ve had the courage to come out and see that everyone is against him,” he said, referring to Mr Lukashenko, who has empowered the secret services, sidelined the opposition and censored the media in a 26 year-reign made possible by removing constitutional checks on power.  

Outside the headquarters of the feared KGB, the intelligence service that bears the same name as its Soviet predecessor, hundreds of demonstrators also held up the opposition’s red-and-white flag in a rare show of defiance.

None of the delirious scenes in the capital were relayed on state television, which last night did not mention the protests whatsoever.

Mr Lukashenko’s landslide victory on Sunday 9th August was widely condemned as fraudulent, with reports of election officials disposing of bags of votes for the opposition. 

The position of the 65-year old former collective farm boss came under further pressure in the following days as blue-collar workers, who form the core of his support, staged walk-outs and threatened industrial action on Monday unless a new election is called.

In apparent desperation, Mr Lukashenko on Sunday called a rally for supporters, mostly consisting of state-paid workers who were bused in Minsk from all over the country, and vowed to fight on.

“Someone wants me to give away our country,” a visibly distressed Lukashenko shouted out to the crowd of about 20,000 people on Sunday afternoon. “Even when I’m dead, I’m not going to give the country away.”

The embattled president warned of a foreign invasion and sought to portray the opposition movement as in hoc to Western powers. 

“Look out of the window: tanks and jets are at the ready 15 minutes away from our border. Nat troops are clanking by our gate,” Mr Lukashenko said to the crowd in Independence Square, wiping sweat from his brow.

While some Belarusian senior officials including the prime minister have sought to ease tensions, Mr Lukashenko on Sunday called the opposition “scum” and “rats.”

When tens of thousands of peaceful demonstrators took to the streets of Minsk in the immediate aftermath of the election, riot police responded with shocking violence, plunging entire neighbourhoods into urban warfare, throwing stun grenades at passers-by and firing rubber bullets at protesters.

Horrifying stories of torture among the 7,000 detained protesters in Belarusian jails triggered even larger protests across society.

The violence has wiped out what little support Mr Lukashenko did have, Yelena Seliverstova, 49, said.

“With his actions he showed that he stands against the entire nation,” Ms Seliverstova, who makes wedding dresses, told the Telegraph.

“We do not recognize this government. He won’t leave. The only thing we can do is to come out in protest and not go to work tomorrow,” Ms Seliverstova said.

Although aimed at creating the appearance of public support  for the aging leader, Mr Lukashenko's rally revealed cracks even among his traditional supporters.

An army veteran who was invited onstage by the organisers stunned the crowd by accusing election officials of rigging the results and lashing out at riot police for their savage treatment of detainees and violence on the streets.

“You cannot turn your back on people,” he said to a mix of jeers and applause.   Earlier that day, veterans of Belarus' elite special forces unit put out a statement, condemning violence by riot police.

While Minsk was last night filled with jubilation it was not clear what the protesters’ next step would be or whether Mr Lukashenko would heed their demand for his exit. 

The Kremlin, a key ally, has remained tight-lipped on whether it will directly intervene to prop up Mr Lukashenko. Russian state media has described the protests as peaceful, but is also promoting the idea that the foreign forces are seeking to destabilise Belarus. 

“Everyone is thinking about what happens next,” Mr Grinberg, the 23-year old protester said. “When workers go on strike on Monday, we will know for sure.”