The first place they looked was Nexta Live (pronounced “Nekhta” and meaning “someone” in Belarusian), a channel on Telegram. Each week, Nexta has announced the time and place of the protest a day or two before Mobile internet was not working for everyone (the authorities had been switching it off at key moments) but those tech-savvy enough to install the right virtual private network (VPN) apps were able to relay the news. After a tense, half-hour standoff, they looked down at their phones again. Some people shouted abuse others offered the soldiers flowers and implored them to join the side of the people. When we arrived, the monument had been surrounded by barbed wire and placed under armed guard. The enormous crowd began to flow from Independence Square, through the broad central avenues of Minsk towards a second world war memorial – because many people had received messages on their phones telling them to head there.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |