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Jan 1, 2021-2021

Belarus

Pro-Belarus Snowman Picket

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ACTIVISTS/ACT.GROUPS/DESCRIPTION OF THE GROUP

Belarusian Citizens

TARGET

Lukashenko, government

WIDELY HELD BELIEF

Elections should be free and fair.

CASE NARRATIVE

Issue and Opponent: Lukashenka, who has been in power in Belarus since 1994, has faced months of protests after a disputed presidential election in August 2020. Almost 30,000 individuals have been detained during these protests, including hundreds of whom were beaten in detention or on the streets.
Dilemma Action: A man in the Homel district of Belarus constructed a snowman in his backyard and wrote “Long live Belarus” across the structure. Photographs of the snowman show him in a red scarf, which is a color of the resistance. The snowman also held a picket and a chain.
Outcomes: The police cited the man for the snowman holding an unsanctioned picket. However, the man suggested that the police should charge the snowman since it was the one holding the picket. Although the snow and snowman disappeared, the man will still face trial and jail time if he cannot pay the fine of the equivalent of 415 euros.

PRIMARY STRUGGLE/GOAL

Pro-Democracy

DA TACTICS USED

Banners/posters/displayed communications

CASE NARRATIVE WRITER

SUCCESS METRICS

10 / 12

(EREP) Dilemma action got replicated by other movements

(MC) Media Coverage

(MSYMP) Media coverage was sympathetic to the activists

(OR) Opponent response

(PS) Dilemma action built sympathy with the public

(PUN) Punishment favored the activists

(REFR) Dilemma action reframed the narrative of the opponent

(RF) Dilemma action reduced fear and/or apathy among the activists

(SA) Dilemma action appealed to a broad segment of the public

Laugtivism

PART OF A LARGER CAMPAIGN

1 / 3

Activist group continued working together after the action

RESOURCES

Project documentation

Dilemma Actions Coding Guidebook

Case study documentation

Dilemma_Actions_Analysis_Dataset

CC BY 4.0 Deed, Attribution 4.0 International

SOURCES

RFE/ RL’s Belarus Service. 2021. “Frosty The Protester: Belarusian Man Arrested For Snowman,” RFERL. Retrieved July 23, 2023. (https://www.rferl.org/a/frosty-the-protester-belarusian-man-arrested-for-snowman/31034355.html).

RFE/ RL. 2021. “Man arrested in Belarus for building a ‘protesting’ snowman,” Retrieved July 23, 2023. (https://www.lrt.lt/en/news-in-english/19/1313871/man-arrested-in-belarus-for-building-a-protesting-snowman).

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