During his speech at the All-Belarusian People’s Assembly, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko promised not to let the private business, which refuses to work for the state, be under pressure, BelTA informs.
According to him, the authorities will actively fight all entrepreneurs who are not patriots. The President urged such businessmen to immediately leave the country, and everyone else to start working for the interests of the republic. “I am a state man and I will demand as an authoritarian leader or, as you wish, a dictator,” Lukashenka threatened.
He added that the country’s leadership will never kneel before the “private traders” and cited the example of enterprises that closed on certain days of protests as a sign of solidarity with the Belarusian opposition. “I warned the State Control Committee: they closed, you didn’t close, and that none of them would open,” the Belarusian leader added.
In Belarus, protests have continued for the seventh month after the presidential elections on August 9, 2020. The actions are harshly suppressed by the police and riot police. Tens of thousands of people were detained, and many spoke of torture and beatings in isolation wards. Four people were killed in clashes with security forces, dozens were sentenced to imprisonment.
Belarusian entrepreneurs often joined the actions of solidarity with the protesters. They hung opposition symbols at their outlets and helped the demonstrators to hide from the riot police. In response, the security forces smashed shop windows and held businessmen accountable for participating in unauthorized actions.