The Belarusian embassy in London was picketed ahead of the International Human Rights Day.
Make Some Noise for Human Rights demonstration was organised by Free Belarus Now civil campaign and the British young liberal democrats. The event was attended by the Belarusians living in London, participants of the Belarus Free Theatre, students of British universities and representatives of Equity, a trade union for performers and creative practitioners.
Picketers bring musical instruments and honks to make a loud noise. They say the people of Belarus cannot openly stand up for human rights in their country, so it should be done abroad.
Representative of Equity trade union Robert Mill emphasised the importance of supporting the Belarusian free society in his speech.
Iryna Bahdanava, the sister of 2010 presidential candidate Andrei Sannikov, enlisted the names of the current political prisoners. Demonstrators chanted “Freedom!” after each name. She then called on politicians not to forget about the Belarusian political prisoners during the Christmas holidays.
Natallya Kalyada, the Belarus Free Theatre director, thanked students of British universities for joining the demonstration and said it's very important for the people of Belarus to hear voices from abroad supporting their struggle for freedom.
The picket in front of the Belarusian embassy lasted for 1.5 hours.
Pickets of solidarity with Belarusian political prisoners are held in other cities across the UK.