2019 Belarusian anti-Russian protests

On 7 December 2019, Belarusian Young Front leader called the Minsk residents to go to street protests. In result, around 730 people made a human chain from the Independence Avenue to the October Square, and then went to the centre of the capital.^[1] Militsiya warned that the Minsk Executive Committee didn't permit the rally, but did not use force against protesters. Another demonstration took place on 8 December. No one was arrested, except the car driver who honked at the opposition supporters.^[2] Opposition leader Sergei Tikhanovsky was one of the leading figures during the protests, and appeared on 19 December.

Despite not using force, Militsiya created warning reports for 40 demonstrators, so on 20 December, when negotiations on integration took place in St. Petersburg, there were less demonstrators than earlier who gathered at the October Square and march to the Independence Square, when they organized a rally.^[3][4] The protest was repeated on 21 December, this time there was an integration supporter among other protesters.^[5]

On 29 December, another demonstration took place on the October Square where another opposition leader Vyacheslav Siuchyk [pl] demanded that the authorities disclose the content of the integration plans.

On 4 January 2020, an anti-integration protest was also held in Polotsk.^[6]

In December 2019 and January 2020, trials of demonstrators were held in Minsk and Polotsk. 13 people were arrested, including a protest organizer, who was charged with the 34,5 thousands of Belarusian ruble fine.^[7]

The protests caused the emergence of Sergei Tikhanovsky as a new popular opposition leader.