[anymouse]

Freedom is breaking out all over - except in Pinellas Park, Florida.

[Velveeta]

bump

[Big Digger]

"Minsk...isn't that just a stone's throw from Pinsk? Yes it is Captain Parmenter."

[dfwgator]

Do Svidanya Lukashenko!

[SunkenCiv]

Ping!

[zarf]

Minsk special-operations police force head Yury Podobed has estimated the number of people rallying on Minsk's Oktyabrskaya square at from 300 to 400

Sounds like a "Loverboy" reunion.

[aynrandfreak]

Bush said something like, we know that your country's political prisoners will be the leaders when your countries are free.

[spanalot]

White Russia? How do you say "Orange Russia"?

[Grampa Dave]

Freedom is breaking out all around Mother Russia.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1370513/posts

[Lukasz]

More details:

MINSK, Belarus (AP) - About 1,000 pro-democracy protesters tried to gather Friday near the palace of President Alexander Lukashenko, claiming to be emulating the popular uprising in fellow ex-Soviet republic Kyrgyzstan, but they were beaten and dispersed by police in riot gear, and several dozen were arrested.

It took the truncheon-wielding police about two hours to disperse the protesters, who chanted ``Down with Lukashenko!'' and ``Long live Belarus!'' A group of 100 or so opposition activists regrouped, only to be pushed away a second time.

Protest organizer Andrei Klimov said the demonstration was intended to help spark a revolution similar to those that have swept Georgia, Ukraine and, most recently, Kyrgyzstan, ousting unpopular governments.

``Today's gathering must send a signal to the West, Russia and our own bureaucrats that Belarus is ready for a serious change,'' Klimov said. ``Our aim is to start the Belarusian revolution and force the resignation of Lukashenko, the last dictator of Europe.''

Lukashenko has ruled his nation of 10 million people with an iron fist, stifling dissent, persecuting independent media and opposition parties, and prolonging his power through elections that international organizations say were marred by fraud.

Lukashenko, who has been called Europe's last dictator, pushed through a referendum in October that will allow him to seek a third term in 2006 and run in subsequent elections.

Friday's protest was one of the biggest in the Belarusian capital in recent months.

``By using force, Lukashenko shows he's terribly scared,'' said Vyacheslav Sivchik, an opposition leader who was later detained by police for taking part in the demonstration.

Belarus' Foreign Ministry on Friday assailed the Kyrgyz opposition, warning that its action could destabilize the entire region.

``The unconstitutional overthrow of the government in Kyrgyzstan could have fatal consequences for peace, stability and prosperity in the country, as well as in the Central Asian region as a whole,'' it said.

[Grzegorz 246]

There was probably about 3000 protesters.

Belarus is run by a Stalinist dictator, who is still alive only because he gets support from Moscow.


http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1370876/posts

[Grzegorz 246]

Eastern European ping list

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[PianoMan]

"Well you made a long journey from Milan to Minsk.
         Rochelle Rochelle.
         You never stopped hoping. now you're in the pink
         Rochelle Rochelle
         When the nay sayers nay you pick up your pace
         So nothing's going to stop me so get out of my face.
         I'm having adventures all over the place.
         Rochelle ROCHELLE!"

[Sender]

It will take more than 1000 protesters to do it. It will take a million, but maybe there will be a million willing. I met a lot of people who say they like Luka, but they may not have felt secure in speaking their minds.