#title There’s no going back #author Prameń #SORTtopics Belarus, protest, anti-authoritarianism #date 10th August 2020 #source Retrieved on 12th August 2020 from https://pramen.io/en/2020/08/there-s-no-going-back/ #lang en #pubdate 2020-08-12T13:11:01 Yesterday, the Belarusian society woke up from a long sleep. A dream in which we were kept for the last 26 years. A dream that a dictatorship can make people free. These lies, which are still being spread from state channels and some online platforms, will hardly find any place in the hearts of the people. Last night has awakened what we have been lacking in recent years – faith in collective strength. Faith in transformation despite the risks. And this force has appeared not only in the main streets of the capital, but also in many small towns in the country, where OMON fled in fear of the demonstrators. Photos and videos of numerous clashes with special police units have finally broken the myth of quiet Belarusians praying for peace and not ready to take risks. Lukashenko and the entire vertical of power were horrified by the energy that spilled over into the country’s streets. Otherwise, it is impossible to explain the fact that in just a few hours of protests, OMON and internal troops have moved from simple detentions to a full-scale war against the population using rubber bullets, tear gas and water cannons. In many cities, the police have completely lost control of the streets. Yesterday, a lot of blood was shed from the ordinary working population of the country. Many saw a police caravan break through a crowd of protesters at speed. One of those who was run over died in hospital. Several people are still in intensive care. Dozens of people are hospitalized. Many are already preparing for the next round of confrontation. Those left with the Internet are learning to make Molotov cocktails, build barricades and are looking for the most vulnerable areas of the cosmonauts. We are not watching videos with kittens, we are watching videos that tell us how to get into chains and hold the line during clashes with the cops. We go to the wastelands to learn how to throw rocks. The Belarusian regime has made us revolutionaries! It was Lukashenko who created a situation in which there is no going back. There is no more poisonous stability to which one can go back. What we have seen and what we have experienced will not be lost anymore. The responsibility for the blood spilled lies entirely on the shoulders of the dictatorship. Lukashenko is not ready to leave without blood and we will show that not only simple people can bleed. Today, we will take to the streets at 19:00 and stand shoulder to shoulder against the dictatorship for direct democracy. For a society in which dictators and exploiters have no place. Today we will continue our rebellion for a world without a Belarusian dictatorship! See you on the streets of the cities! See you on the barricades!