World Belarus braces for mass protests as Lukashenko orders army to defend nation

The protests rapidly spread across continents with supporters gathering publicly to raise their voice against police brutality toward people of color and deep-seated racism in society.

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(Pictured) People kneel as part of a "Take The Knee" event, in the aftermath of protests against the death of Floyd, in London, England, on June 10. 

In Prague, Czech Republic, thousands protested against Prime Minister Andrej Babiš’ government, criticizing their handling of public health emergency amid the COVID-19 pandemic and providing inadequate help for the stumbling economy.

(Pictured) People protesting at Old Town Square on June 9.

In April, people began protesting against COVID-19 restrictions, such as lockdown and stay-at-home measures, in various parts of the country such as Michigan, Ohio, North Carolina and Utah. The protesters said these restrictions can cause damage to local economies.

One of the first protests, dubbed “Operation Gridlock,” started in Michigan, where people blocked traffic by sitting in their cars. Soon these demonstrations spread as members of far-right and other conservative groups joined in, demanding their states be re-opened.

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In December 2019, thousands of people took to the streets to protest French President Emmanuel Macron’s planned pension reforms. Currently, the country has 42 different pension schemes, and Macron proposed to replace them with universal points-based system. 

The protests included people from different professions such as lawyers, teachers, firefighters, doctors and transport workers. His plan attracted various strikes, including the longest transport strike that the country has witnessed in decades. The president vowed not to give up on his plan to simplify the complex pension system. However, in March, Macron suspended his reform agenda to move government's sole focus in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.

To oppose the way Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro is handling the coronavirus pandemic, millions of Brazilians began banging pots and pans in their balconies, in hopes of getting their voices heard. Demonstrators across São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro called for the president to step down, yelling “Fora Bolsonaro!” (“Get out, Bolsonaro!”).

Dictator’s Gun-Toting Son, 15, Is Being Groomed as Belarus’ King Joffrey

From the age of 5, he has rubbed shoulders with the most feted and feared world leaders from the Obamas and two successive Popes to Hugo Chavez and Vladimir Putin. By 7 he had been gifted a handgun made of gold by Dmitry Medvedev, who was Russia’s president at the time. This week, Nikolay Lukashenko, the youngest son of the “last dictator in Europe,” came of age during the worst period of his father’s reign. With 100,000 protesters demanding Alexander Lukashenko’s resignation and free and fair elections in Minsk, the 15-year-old flew over the crowds in a helicopter, all dressed up in the tactical gear of an elite commando.

(Pictured) A protester stands on her window making noise with a pan in Rio de Janeiro on April 24.

President Bolsonaro has dismissed the pandemic as a media "trick,” “hysteria” and a “fantasy.” Despite being one of the most affected in Latin America, the president has called it "little more than a flu" and dismissed the warnings of health officials to even join anti-lockdown protests.

In February, the Sudanese government announced the removal of officers and soldiers who had supported the 2019 revolution to overthrow Omar al-Bashir, Sudan’s former president and dictator. Many people from the group Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA), which had led protests against al-Bashir, took to the streets to stage demonstrations.

In retaliation, the armed forces fired tear gas at the people who were protesting, injuring several in the process. As the people demanded the reinstatement of the soldiers and officers, they also chanted slogans against the head of Sudan’s sovereign council, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, claiming that he has too much power over the military.

People began protesting the conditions of overcrowded camps on the Greek islands of Lesbos, Samos and Chios. They also criticized the government’s approach in handling the arrival of migrants from Turkey. It sparked a number of strikes, with petrol stations, shops and pharmacies being shut down.

Comment: The cynical business with Alexej Nawalny's health

There is a great outcry in Germany after doctors in Berlin assume that Alexej Nawalnys has been poisoned. However, the federal government apparently does not see any great opportunities to take action against Moscow, says Jens Thurau. © DW / V. Esipov Alexej Navalny was brought from the airport to the Berlin Charite by a Bundeswehr ambulance.

Clashes between the demonstrators and the police also broke out in Lesbos and Chios, as residents tried to block the riot police from entering by setting fire. As a result, the police used tear gas and flash grenades. The residents are also protesting the building of new camps for more migrants and refugees.

According to a study by the UN World Food Programme, one out of three people in Venezuela do not have enough food to eat and people are food insecure. Hundreds of protests erupted in Venezuela this year due to the scarcity of food, as well as fuel. Despite the lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, protests are still going on, with some of them even turning violent.

In March, thousands of people marched on the streets to support the opposition, led by Juan Guaidó (pictured, C), as they demand to overthrow Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and protest the ongoing economic instability that the country has been facing in the recent years.

On Feb. 28, tens of thousands of people, including children, joined a climate strike led by Greta Thunberg in Bristol, England. The Swedish climate activist walked behind a banner that read, “Skolstrejk for Klimatet,” or “School Strike for Climate.”

(Pictured) Thunberg (front, in yellow behind the banner) joins demonstrators during the Bristol Youth Strike 4 Climate (BYS4C) march.

Speaking at the event, Thunberg (C) said that the climate emergency was being ignored by politicians and the media.  “Basically, nothing is being done to halt this crisis despite all the beautiful words and promises from our elected officials. So what did you do during this crucial time? I will not be silenced when the world is on fire,” said the young activist. 

The country has experienced significant protests since Oct. 1, 2019, based on a continued frustration at the political system that’s been in place since the end of Saddam Hussein’s regime in 2003. Throughout the demonstrations, in which key administrative buildings were targeted and major ports blocked, authorities attempted to quash activism through violent crackdowns and media blackouts. 

(Pictured) Students hold national flags during an anti-government demonstration in the central Iraqi city of Najaf on Jan. 12. 

Continued unrest has led to the resignation of Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi, with President Barham Salih threatening to resign if pressured to appoint Iran-backed Asaad al-Edani, the current governor of Iraq’s Basra province, as the next prime minister. According to reports, the killing of the Iranian General Soleimani on Iraqi soil on Jan. 3, 2020 resulted in demonstrators voicing anger against both Iran and the U.S., with confrontation between protesters and government forces, which left hundreds dead and several injured. In April, Iraq appointed a new prime minister-designate Mustafa al-Kadhimi.

(Pictured) Anti-government women protesters chant anti-Iran and anti-U.S. slogans during the protests at Tahrir square in Baghdad on Jan. 10.

Major protests began in the Islamic Republic of Iran on Nov. 15, 2019, after the government announced a hike in fuel prices. The move came amidst a slow-moving economy following U.S. sanctions in the wake of an unravelling nuclear deal the previous year. In response, the protests rapidly spread across cities and became an ongoing nationwide agitation. Demonstrations were held against the government and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, with expatriate Iranians expressing solidarity with the anti-government demonstrators.

(Pictured) Iranian riot police stand guard as protesters gather in front of Tehran's Amirkabir University on Jan. 11.

In the days that followed, the Iranian government launched a crackdown which, according to rights group Amnesty International, left over 200 dead in 21 cities around the country. The government also imposed a week-long internet blackout and carried out multiple arrests. On Jan. 3, a U.S. airstrike in Iraq targeted and killed Major General Qassem Soleimani, the chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Amid nationwide mourning and anti-U.S. rallies across the country, Iranian authorities responded on Jan. 8 by targeting Iraqi air bases housing U.S. and coalition troops with ballistic missiles. The same day, a Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) flight crashed shortly after take-off from Tehran and killed all 176 on board. Following days of Iran officials denying any involvement in the incident, Iran admitted it had “unintentionally” shot down the Boeing jet. The admission, along with how the situation was handled by the government, sparked a fresh wave of anti-government demonstrations across the country, while supporters of those in power demonstrated their opposition to the U.S. agenda.

(Pictured) Iranian protesters hold flowers as riot police fire tear gas during a demonstration in front of Amirkabir University on Jan. 11.

Weeks after a lull in anti-government protests that began on Oct. 17, 2019 over widespread corruption and the government’s failure to deal with economic instability in the region, protests again broke out across the country on Jan. 14. The unrest was not confined to the capital Beirut, but also extended to cities such as Tripoli and Saida among other areas. These renewed protests also focused on the inability of interim Prime Minister Hassan Diab to form a government following the resignation of former Prime Minister Saad Hariri, in the wake of the protests, on Oct. 29, 2019.

(Pictured) Protesters chant slogans as they hold Lebanese national flags at a road leading to the parliament building in Beirut, Lebanon, on Jan. 11.

Demonstrations have since intensified, with clashes between protesters and security forces reported across the country. The Interior Minister Raya Haffar El Hassan was forced to apologize on Jan. 16, after it emerged that security forces had attacked journalists covering the unrest. Due to the spread of COVID-19, the protests are now on hold, but the people of Lebanon have promised to return to the streets after the lockdown is lifted. 

(Pictured) Lebanese riot police stand guard as anti-government protesters demonstrate in the heart of Beirut, Lebanon on Jan. 14.

In June 2019, protests began in Hong Kong over a proposed extradition bill, which would allow for the transfer of offenders between Hong Kong and China, among other countries. Following vast demonstrations, including a march involving an estimated one million people, the controversial bill was revoked in September 2019. Protesters went on to take to the streets demanding full democracy, the resignation of Chief Executive Carrie Lam, an inquiry into police action on demonstrators, and the release of imprisoned protesters. Public distrust in the government was reflected at the polling booth in November, as voters handed pro-democracy leaders resounding wins in local elections.

(Pictured) Protesters raise their hands to symbolize the five demands of the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong on Jan. 1.

On Jan. 1, tens of thousands, including children and the elderly, marched in Hong Kong to express solidarity with protesters. Over the next two weeks, demonstrations against the police and the state of China were also held in many parts of the city. Significant clashes between security forces and protesters were reported in many places, including on the Jan. 19 demonstration dubbed the “Universal Siege Against Communism.” Following the coronavirus pandemic, it was reported that on April 18 police began arresting pro-democracy protesters. Hence, defying social distance measures, people have started protesting again, the latest in a mall.

(Pictures) Protesters rally at Chater Garden in Hong Kong on Jan. 19.

Protests in Chile erupted on Oct. 6, 2019, initially sparked by student demonstrations after the government raised fares for the Santiago Metro by $0.04, or 30 Chilean pesos. Activists saw the rise in fares as an anti-populist move that has deepened the rich-poor divide in the country, and protests soon escalated into large scale unrest over high living costs and wider issues of inequality. According to Reuters, Chileans accuse the government of doing nothing to address these issues in the country. In the following weeks, hundreds of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets, clashing with police and defying a state of emergency to voice their disquiet.

(Pictured) A Chilean police water cannon sprays anti-government demonstrators in Santiago on Jan. 10.

With dozens reportedly killed in protests across the country, the violence has been described as the country's worst since the end of Augusto Pinochet’s dictatorship in 1990. On Oct. 25, 2019, around one million people marched through the capital Santiago. President Sebastián Piñera thereafter replaced eight Cabinet ministers and proposed national reforms to address the unrest. However, protests continue over inequality and elitism across the country. In January, students protested outside exam centers during the country's university selection tests, which resulted in the examinations being temporarily suspended in many test centers around Chile. In April, the police arrested 14 people amid anti-government protests, saying that they were breaking social distancing laws.

(Pictured) A demonstrator waves a Chilean national flag next to another flag depicting late Chilean musician Victor Jara during a protest in Santiago on Jan. 17.

On Dec. 11, 2019, the Indian government passed the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), which fast-tracks citizenship to "persecuted" religious minorities from Muslim-majority Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. While a section of the population welcomed the amendment, others expressed concern at the exclusion of Muslim groups from the CAA. The government maintained that, being the majority religion in the three countries covered by the act, Muslims do not fit the definition of “persecuted minorities.” The decision has caused millions of Indian citizens to take to the streets in protest across the country. India's northern state of Uttar Pradesh, a region with a relatively large Muslim population, has experienced particular unrest and in some cases violent protests. 

(Pictured) Members of All Assam Student's Union (AASU) and 30 ethnic organizations take part in a torch light procession in protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act in Guwahati, Assam, on Jan. 3.

Another facet of the protests is a proposed nation-wide National Register of Citizens (NRC), which would require individuals to produce documents providing ancestral information to be confirmed as Indian citizens. According to its critics, the NRC could threaten the statehood of Muslim minorities, amid the alleged discrimination of Islamic groups by the CAA. Although the Indian government has dismissed accusations that the laws rest on exclusionary principles, there have been ongoing protests in Delhi and other major cities across the country. 

(Pictured) Students from various colleges under the aegis of the National Students Union of India (NSUI) hold a national flag during a protest rally against the new citizenship law in Bangalore on Jan 13.

From Sept. 20-27, 2019, many cities around the world witnessed one of the biggest mobilizations of youth as part of the Global Climate Strike, aimed at addressing governmental inaction with regard to the global climate crisis. These demonstrations follow previous worldwide activism orchestrated by climate movements such as Fridays for Future and Extinction Rebellion. During the protests, over one million students in New York City, New York, U.S. were allowed to participate in a scheduled Fridays for Future strike on Sept. 20 by the Department of Education. Following the strikes, Hollywood actor and activist Jane Fonda launched "Fire Drill Fridays" in October 2019, a climate change protest held every Friday of the week in Washington D.C., U.S.

(Pictured) Fonda speaks during her "Fire Drill Fridays" demonstrations in Washington D.C. on Jan. 10.

Many notable celebrities, including Diane Lane, Sally Field and Gloria Steinem, have joined the protests in Washington, D.C., and have been detained for doing so. On Jan. 10, actors Joaquin Phoenix and Martin Sheen were among the 147 people arrested for participating in the weekly protest.

(Pictured) Sheen is arrested at the protest site in Washington D.C., on Jan. 10.