Is Lukashenko now advising the Met?

The Metropolitan Police Service has in recent weeks been used to breakup political protests in the capital city. For the last two Saturdays, they have been sent into wholly peaceful and calm protests, not to “Engage, Explain and Encourage” as their Covid-19 public mantra states, but to wade in from the outset wearing full riot gear with batons at the ready. Wading into crowds of thousands, made up of a diverse mix of men, women, children and elderly. Women in floods of tears trying to flee the subsequent melee, in disbelief that the previously calm and festival like atmosphere was smashed in such a physical and clearly over the top and unreasonable manner.

Charges of twenty to thirty riot officers were on a number of occasions on both weekends sent into the crowd, only to be subsequently surrounded by the crowd who were outraged by the aggression of the officers’ arrival. Chants of “choose your side” rang out each time. On occasions, the officers’ faces looked nervous, even scared, as they were thoroughly outnumbered. Nearly every face looked like they did not want to be there, demotivated, disengaged and unhappy with the situation their seniors were putting them into. Feelings that they were not being used to do the job they had been employed for, but were being used as pawns in the Covid-19 strategy of the current Government.