Amid ongoing protests in Belarus in support of the rivals of incumbent dictator Aliaksandr Lukashenka, the flashmob #NotMyPresident (#немойпрезидент) collects stories told by the Belarusians addressed to the acting President about the reasons they do not recognize the existing authorities. In a surprise move, law enforcement officers of different divisions joined the flashmob.
Photographs started to spread on the Internet with the law enforcement officers expressing solidarity with the people: near the shoulder straps, sheets of paper are placed saying “Lukashenka is not my President”, “I am 97%, I stand with the people”, “Sasha 3% is not my choice”, “Free Babariko”, “I gave an oath to the people, not the cockroach”, and the like.
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After one of the unofficial sociological surveys on the internet showed only 3% of Belarusians support Lukashenka, numbers 3% and 97% became symbolical among protesters. Although exaggerated, protesters use 97% and 3% to disclaim official governmental surveys that show also exaggerated support to Lukashenka. "Free Babariko" became yet another motto of protesters, who demand to cancel politically motivated charges against one of Lukashenka's strongest rivals.
We are a group of volunteers. And we already have more than 170 people. We have united to help the citizens of the Republic of Belarus who have lost their jobs due to their beliefs, actions or opinions. During the first 10 days of the initiative, we received more than 300 appeals. People share their pain, fears, and despair over losing their jobs. For many, losing a job is tantamount to disaster, says the description of the project.
The ongoing pre-election protests in Belarus started after Lukashenka's main challenger, former Belagazprombank head Viktar Babaryka, was arrested on 18 June, and not allowed to register as a candidate on 14 July. That day, another one of Lukashenka's competitors, former ambassador to the US Valery Tsepkalo, was also not allowed to register after too many signatures on his application to become a presidential candidate were declared invalid. Lukashenka's third competitor, popular vlogger Siarhei Tsikhanouski, was also barred from registering and later arrested.
The slack has been picked up by the wives of the barred candidates. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, wife to vlogger Siarhei, is now a registered candidate and gathering thousand-strong rallies throughout the country in her support. The wives of the remaining two candidates, Maria Kalesnikava and Veranika Tsapkala, have also joined the campaign in her support. The presidential election is set for 9 August; the female trio and the public support they receive present the largest challenge to Belarus' incumbent president since he assumed power in 1994.
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