Clashes Erupt At Anti-Government Protest In Belarusian Capital

MINSK (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 30th August, 2020) The fourth weekend of post-election protests against the Belarusian government descended into chaos on Sunday, with protesters and plain-clothes police clashing in the center of Minsk.

The brawl happened near the head office of the Belarusian national security agency KGB, a Sputnik correspondent said, adding several people were whisked away in police vans.

Special police forces moved in to stop the progress of a massive unauthorized demonstration marching down central Independence Avenue. The face-off has been largely peaceful.

The road traffic has not been disrupted.

The police have been urging the demonstrators to follow traffic rules. Four metro stations close to the center have been shut and trains pass through without stopping.

The police have been blocking streets across the downtown, with protesters moving in hundreds from different directions to evade the cordons. Belarusian media say sporadic arrests have been made.

The crowds are bristling with white-red-white flags of the Belarusian opposition. National colors have also been spotted. A protester carrying a Russian flag told Sputnik he wanted the two countries to get along.