27 September 2007
Authorities have given consent to only three of 458 pickets against abolition of benefits, organizer says
With 90 percent of the applications already replied, only three out of 458 pickets against the forthcoming abolition of benefits and privileges have been allowed, Valery Ukhnalyow, chairman of the organizing committee, told BelaPAN.
According to him, two pickets were permitted in Brest and one in Navahrudak, Hrodna region. The yet unanswered 10 percent are the applications for pickets in officially designated areas in the provinces.
“As for the designated locations in Minsk, we got a uniform negative reply saying that pickets in Peoples' Friendship Park [near Bangalore Square] and 50th October Revolution Anniversary Park ‘would obstruct foot and vehicular traffic,’” Mr. Ukhnalyow said. “I wonder what kind of vehicular traffic could there be in the parks.”
Mr. Ukhnalyow said that pickets would be set on September 30 anyway. “Of course, we can’t field all the 458 pickets; but people will come,” he stressed. “They will not go to the places where pickets have been banned because this would entail charging them with staging an unauthorized demonstration, but they will be out on the streets, passing out printed material and collecting signatures to a petition to the House of Representatives.”
He noted that all the leaflets, newspapers and booklets would be legal and carry the required information about them.
http://brestonline.com/en/news/news1555.html