Dear friends!
(applause)
Thank you for coming.
(thunderous applause, words in support of the President)
Thank you, Gomel residents! I have lived with you for a quarter of a century of difficult years, and you have never let me down.
(applause)
Thank you, fellow citizens of Mogilev and residents of Vitebsk!
(applause)
Thank you, residents of Brest and the Brest region!
(applause)
…Where I spent the most difficult years of my youth - the (after)war years.
Thank you, residents of Grodno!
(applause)
It was then, in the mid-1990s, that we began our election campaign with you, residents of Grodno.
Thank you, Minsk residents!
(applause)
…For the fact that you endure me for a quarter of a century, a person who came to you from the provinces.
(applause)
Dear friends, I did not call you here to protect me, although that won’t hurt. You have come here so that for the first time in a quarter of a century you can defend your country, its independence, your families, your wives, sisters and children!
(thunderous applause)
I didn't want to invite you to this square. First, I know you have a lot to do at home. You are harvesting now. I know, the kids are going to school soon. And you have a lot of work to prepare your children and grandchildren for this. But most importantly, I remember those 1990s: people stood here, workers with pots and kettles, and they asked for food, asked to feed their children. And I saw all of this from that window over there (the rally was held near the building of the Government House, where Alexander Lukashenko worked as a deputy at one time. - Approx. BelTA). And then I vowed to help you and not to let that sort of squares gatherings into the fate of Belarusians.
(applause)
I am not a supporter of streets and squares, I am not a supporter of rallies. But, alas, it is not my fault that I had to call you for help.
(applause)
Dear friends, then, in the mid-1990s, at rallies and squares, unfortunately, and here in parliament, we have destroyed what was given to us by God: our huge Great empire, (USSR) without which no issue in the world could be resolved.
We got the bloody stump of this empire. What did those people want then, what did you want? You asked for a piece of bread. You asked for $ 20 in wages, you asked to start, to restart, to save factories. You asked for a tractor, you asked for a harvester to save the villages. So that you can work in the village, so that there is milk, meat and bread on these Minsk stalls.
(applause)
You asked then not to privatise our factories and plants. You asked not to take the land away from the peasants. You asked not to introduce paid medicine and education. You asked to restore respect for the officer and the soldier who were afraid to go out.
(thunderous applause)
In short, you asked me, a very young, inexperienced person, to lead the people away from the abyss. And we did it! We have done what millions of predecessors dreamed of. We have built a sovereign independent state for the first time in our history! The time chose us then, and we did it!
(thunderous applause)
Further I will speak and address you and not only you. And sometimes not you at all. I want to appeal to those who feel lost today, who are disoriented today. And, maybe, those who are not on this square today. I want to ask you: what do you want now? First, do you want freedom? Tell me, what sort of a freedom ?! Do you want a change? What, what kind of changes, what are we going to change ?! Do you want reforms? Tell me which ones, and we'll start tomorrow! Do you want "helicopter money"? But those standing here on this square, you know, that there is no "helicopter money" delivered through the air, that money must be earned every day. And not in the squares, but in the fields, in factories.
(thunderous applause)
Someone wants new elections. Look around you! Tanks and planes are on 15 minutes after take off from our borders! And these are not just words. NATO troops clink their tracks right at our gates. There is a build-up of military power on the western borders of our country. Lithuania, Latvia, Poland and, unfortunately, our dear Ukraine, its leaders are ordering us to hold new elections.
(numerous exclamations against such a step)
If only we’ll follow their orders, we will go into a tailspin and will never stabilize our airship. We will perish as a state, as a people, as a nation.
(applause)
Instead of being there, at the training grounds, in the Western part of our country, to demonstrate our strength, we keep our guys in the streets and squares in order to calm them down (protesters. - Approx. BelTA). Is this normal, soldiers?
We were offered a "landzug" (human bridge) - from Vilnius to Kiev: "We will put more than 300 thousand of our people there." This "landzug" is a cordon sanitaire that we have destroyed in the mid-1990s. And for that they hate us so much in the West. We must not become a sanitary zone between East and West! We must not become a latrine for Europe!
(thunderous applause)
We are being offered a new government. It was already created abroad. As many as two. They cannot figure out who will come to lead us. But we remember history. There was a bunch of these governments, and now one of them still sits in America. There are three of them. We don't need overseas governments! We need our own government, our own leadership, and we will elect it!
(thunderous applause, words in support of the President)
We are being offered a new power. We are offered NATO soldiers. They want to dress us into bast shoes (traditional footwear of the poorest farmers before the revolution – translator’s note) and to whip us around. Can't you see that ?! If someone wants it, that will be without me. I will never allow the scrapping of our state! I will never allow to the destruction of what was created by our own hands! This will not happen!
(thunderous applause)
But I, like all of you and those who hear us, have children and grandchildren. And I want them to live, as we have lived for a quarter of a century, on our own land, in our own state! To live bad, really bad, good, better, but on our own land, with our own mind!
(applause)
And now not for a meeting, but I must tell you this, since you came here from distant Bragin, you came from Malorita, from the north of our country, from the east and the west. I may no have another such an opportunity to tell you all: yes, we were pursuing a tough course, yes, someone might not like my policy, the government etc. But you and I have approved this power in the mid-1990s by adopting a new Constitution. You then asked me to put things in order. I delivered it to you. You asked to live without corruption and oligarchs. Where are those oligarchs?
(applause)
You asked to clear the streets of Minsk and roads from bandits. I did it for you!
(thunderous applause, words of gratitude)
By force, by iron will, with the boys who are being defamed today (with their parents), we took weapons, there were only a few of us, and we wiped them (bandits. - BelTA) out from our roads! There were 32 gangs in Minsk! A huge amount on the Brest highway! The thieves and the bandits who killed our people! We removed them all in six months!
(thunderous applause)
And today I want to ask that small group of Minsk youth: have you heard about this? Have you ever heard how these criminals had scoffed at our people, how they took away their last money, how they shot right here when I was sitting in this building? Do they even know what it cost? They don't know exactly. Probably, their parents got ill and forgot about it, and did not tell them about it. So, I’ll remind you: 32 gangs that we have destroyed here with these guys - riot police, police, soldiers who followed me.
(thunderous applause)
You asked me, a very young man at that time who did not know where to get some money. You were crying, your wives – “$ 20, Alexander Grigorievich, there is nothing to feed the children with”! We gave more than that. And only a blind man does not see it! Yes, we are not rich. But it’s not $ 20 (salaries in the country. - Approx. BelTA). We live as well as we can, but on our own land!
(thunderous applause)
You asked to teach children, you asked to heal people. We teach and we give medical treatments!
(applause)
And we heal no worse than others, as recent history has shown. Anyone who is not blind, take your head into your hands. Teachers, doctors, creative intelligentsia, put your head in your hands and look at the data. We went our own way in this pandemic, we did not stop the country, not a single plant, not a single village was closed. And people today thank us for that!
(thunderous applause, words of gratitude)
They still reproach me today: the wrong path, no social distance ... But look at them: did they distance themselves at rallies and squares (opponents of the current government. - BelTA) when they were given a command from abroad? They didn’t give a damn about the masks and the distancing from each other! What do they reproach me for? For the fact that for six months, when this terrible disease was going on, I went out of my way so that not a single person would get sick.
(thunderous applause)
With all the difficulties, with all the shortcomings, we have built a beautiful country with you! Whom did you decide to give it to? If someone wants to give away our country, then even when I'm dead, I won't let you!
(thunderous applause, words in support of the President)
Dear friends! About the recent events: I stand in front of you as before God: the elections have taken place. There cannot be more than 80% falsification! Can not be!
(thunderous applause, cheers)
We are being told to hold new elections. I just said: if we will plunge into this swamp. we will never get out! They want to destroy us, they want to weaken us. Who will be holding these elections? Who will go to vote in these elections? Bandits and gang lords!
Let's go to the polls, and who will work? If we go to the polls, we will perish, and this is what they want there, abroad.
They say we showed either harshness or cruelty in the streets. So who did start it, this cruelty? Was it I or the government who started it? We didn't need it! I had to stop them! If they were not stopped, you would not be here now. You would slave for them, and they would divide and tear up the country. If we go to the polls now, we will turn the country on its head.
(loud applause, words of support)
Today, threats are heard to the families of the military, to civil servants - to everyone who has stood by Lukashenko's side. I warn you: you are playing with fire! Soldiers, civil servants, workers, peasants, doctors, teachers, our intelligentsia are able to defend themselves (and will protect) and their families!
(applause)
I ask those people now: do not touch the teachers, they need to get ready for school! Do not touch the doctors, they should not come somewhere from the "red zones" (COVID-19 has not gone away yet) and make excuses! Don't touch the state media journalists and their families! God forbid, something happen, you will answer in full!
(applause)
Calm down, do not push people into violent confrontation! Do not disgrace the country – our peaceful, prosperous and calm country, which everyone in the world envied! Because of this, we have no friends, no supporters. Everyone wants us to kneel. But we will not!
(loud applause, words of support)
But I'm a realist. Listen to me: they will not allow us to have a quiet life. Even if they (opponents of the current government and the country. - BelTA note) calm down now, they will crawl out like rats from their holes after a while. They are already controlled by outsiders, the puppeteers. They would like to see the western borders of our Belarus here, near Minsk, as in 1939, and not near Brest. This will not happen! We will all become the Brest Fortress! We will not give up the country! Belarusians, think with your own head before it's too late today! For tomorrow others will think for us. That is what is so valuable about the fact that you came here to support not only me, but also to protect the country! Do not regret this time that you have spent to come here, to the centre of Minsk!
(loud applause, words of support)
Dear friends, the value of this action is also (it inspires me) that by this you have shown who is the boss in our home! We hear their voices, we understand that this is a minority. But they too must take into account the opinion of the overwhelming majority, our opinion!
(applause)
They (opponents of the current government. - Approx. BelTA) shout to me: "Go away!" No problem! Listen, my dear ones, I am not standing here because I am so desperate to have a strong hold on power. A quarter of a century, I have given all my youth and my best years to serve you and our Motherland.
No problem! Presidents come and go. The OMON will leave, we will disband the army and sit down again on the square ... What and who will we wait here for? Whom will we feed tomorrow? To release criminals and bandits ... No bother. But they will kill and rip off us and our children. Remember this! They are striving for power.
We have already gone through this in the past. Some have not seen it, some have forgotten it. Why repeating it ?! I remind you! We can't repeat it! Stop, don't kill your future, your children's future with your own hands!
We are a tasty little piece for them (opponents of a calm and peaceful Belarusian state. - Approx. BelTA), but a small piece. They will swallow it and will not choke. Think! The time has come, you decide. I would like to ask them: what is the matter with you, Belarusians? You have wanted to live a dignified life for centuries! And remember: if you will destroy - not Lukashenko – if you will destroy the first President, this will be the beginning of your end! You will always live, like in Ukraine and other countries, you’ll kneel and pray to someone unknown.
(loud applause, words of support)
And remember, I appeal to them (opponents of the authorities. - Approx. BelTA), and you will make sure that they do not light this fire, because, as history teaches us, you can never build a future on the ashes. You will be beggars, you will walk with an outstretched hand and ask for a piece of bread, which we can make ourselves today, grow it ourselves. We know how to do it! We don't want anything from anyone. We want them to back off our house!
We will deal with all the issues. I warned you: the elections will be interesting, and after the elections it will be even more interesting. As I have predicted it.
Please take care, take care of Belarus! Because it no longer belongs to us, but to our children and grandchildren! We have somehow lived most of our lives already until today. And what will we leave to them ?! The time is very serious. Therefore, I called you here so that you protect the country, support people today who are going into battle for you, for your future.
Keep in mind that now a lot of all sorts of rubbish has crept out and stigmatised me: Lukashenka is like that, he has money somewhere, he has a house somewhere ... Or they declare that I got sick, or that I have already died ... But I am alive and I will live!
(thunderous applause)
And remember, I never betrayed you, never! And I will never betray you!
(loud applause, words of support)
I repeat once again: thank you very much for showing that you are the masters - from Bragin, Volkovysk, Mogilev and Vitebsk, you are the masters of this country and this capital. They (opponents of the current government. - BelTA note) will remember for a long time that we have gathered here. Thank you very much! I am kneeling before you for the first time in my life! You deserve it!
(thunderous applause)
Thank you, peasants, thank you for finding time to get away from your work! We'll catch up tomorrow and finish harvesting.
Thank you, workers! Do not give your factories to anyone, do not give up jobs, because then you will not return to them, nothing will work there, you will never rebuild the country if you do that.
Thank you, veterans! For your support, for always supporting me!
Thank you, soldiers of our army! For peace and calmness.
Thanks you!
(loud applause, words of support)
https://www.belta.by/president/view/vystuplenie-aleksandra-lukashenko-v-minske-na-mitinge-za-sohranenie-spokojstvija-mira-i-bezopasnosti-v-403047-2020/
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