Andrew Khrapavitski reports that 50,000 people have arrived so far in Minsk’s October Square(his report is from around 11pm Minsk time), and that Alexander Kazulin, one of the defeated candidates that some thought was a Lukashenko stooge, has joined them.
Milinkevich, the main opposition candidate, if he hasn’t already arrived in October Square, can’t be too far behind.
50,000 protestors (if it is an accurate estimate) sounds a sizeable enough number that police can’t really wade into the crowd to disperse them violently. They are also reaching the kinds of numbers that are going to get Western news agencies really interested.
Could it be that the number of protestors is reaching the critical mass that will allow them to build a serious challenge to Lukashenko’s regime? I hope so.
Check out Neeka’s Backlog and Andrei Khrapavitski and Publius Pundit (who has found Belarus’ first protest babe – a sure sign that Lukashenko is doomed) for more updates as the protest develops.
Picture from Belarus’ Komsomolskaya Pravda