Trump Administration calls on Belarus President not to use force on Peaceful Demonstrators

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US President Donald Trump deployed federal agents to Portland to beat back protesters near a federal courthouse. Now, the White House has issued a statement calling on the Belarusian government to refrain from using force against peaceful protesters. Demonstrations in Minsk (the capital of Belarus) broke out after the country’s autocratic president Alexander Lukashenko was re-elected with 80% of the vote. Demonstrators and opposition party members claimed the election was rigged and pointed to the government’s denial of election observers as evidence that the process was not legitimate. It is noteworthy that Lukashenko has held power in Belarus since 1994. Police used tear gas, grenades, and water cannon against the demonstrators to crush the protests.

The White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany was asked if the president had any comment on the violence and claims of election fraud in Belarus during a press briefing. She said, “We are looking at that and were deeply concerned by the Belarus presidential election. Severe restrictions on ballot access for candidates, the prohibition of local independent observers at polling stations, intimidation of opposition candidates, and the detention of peaceful protesters and journalists have marred the process and we urge the Belarusian government to respect the right to peaceably assemble and to refrain from the use of force”. McEnany showed a video in late July and widely compared to state propaganda, which showed protesters and police clashing in Portland in an attempt to paint the protests as violent uprisings.

Point to be noted that demonstrators in Portland have claimed that it was federal agents who instigated and amplified violence in the city. The mayor of Portland, Ted Wheeler also called on federal troops to leave the city multiple times. McEnany previously supported the heavy-handed response of federal officers in Portland. Police and federal troops have used rubber bullets to shoot protesters. McEnany said, “The federal government has a sworn duty to uphold the laws of the United States through field offices and federal facilities across the country. These are not the actions of so-called peaceful protesters in the Trump administration will not stand by and allow anarchy in our streets”.