Belarus opposition protests in 'European March'

Thousands of demonstrators marched through the centre of Belarus's capital yesterday protesting against the policies of President Alexander Lukashenko, accused in the West of crushing fundamental rights.

The so-called European March aims to show that the country of 10 million wedged between Russia and three European Union states wants to move closer to Europe, organisers said.

"We asked the authorities to join us but they refused. This is not a march against anyone, this is a march for Europe," opposition leader Alexander Milinkevich told the crowd, which a Reuters reporter estimated was around 4,000 people.

Yulia Kotskaya, an opposition activist, said police had rounded up and detained more than 30 opposition supporters in the run-up to the protest being staged in chilly autumn weather.

But during the protest the police showed restraint and stood by as the demonstrators walked along the main street.

"Belarus in Europe," the demonstrators shouted as they blasted horns and waved the flags of the European Union and Belarus.

The former Soviet state's mainly fractured opposition united behind Mr Milinkevich, an academic, as their candidate to oppose Mr Lukashenko's successful bid for re-election to a third term last year, but earlier this year their ranks split.

They pulled together for yesterday's protest, though differences in how to act against the President persist.

Mr Milinkevich asked supporters to gather initially in the central October Square, where the opposition staged noisy protests against Mr Lukashenko's re-election last year for four days before they were broken up by police.

But city authorities authorised the protest only in an outlying square and police warned Mr Milinkevich ahead of the march that they would hold him criminally responsible for any violations of public order.

The United States and European Union barred entry to Mr Lukashenko and more than 30 other officials after last year's presidential election, which they denounced as rigged. Mr Lukashenko is also accused of cracking down on opponents and muzzling independent media.

The President has been in power since 1994 and is generally popular, especially outside the capital. He has called for improved ties with western Europe after quarrelling with Russia earlier this year over energy prices, but rejects EU demands that Belarus must first meet Western democratic standards.