"This guy is probably an informant — his boots are polished": Seviarynets recounts the story of Dashkevich's appearance in "Young Front"

According to Seviarynets, Zmitser joined the "Young Front" in 2000 during a wave of protest actions.

"The head of the squad, the sports department — which was security in the Young Front — comes up to me and says:

— Pasha, listen, this guy is probably an informant.

— Why?

— Well, look how neatly he's dressed, his hair cut. And his boots are polished. You know, they [at the KGB] polish boots. That's a bad sign."

As Seviarynets explains, Dashkevich's appearance indeed differed greatly from the other "Young Front" members:

"We had a huge mass of informal people: smoky, burnt, hairy. You can imagine what a youth protest movement is like. And suddenly, here's such a neat, short-haired man in polished boots."

To test the newcomer's persistence, the leadership decided to give him a unique test: Zmitser was left to wait while a meeting was ongoing. Dashkevich waited. According to Seviarynets, there was hope that Zmitser "would drop out himself if we revealed his true nature" in the future. However, the first impression turned out to be wrong:

"Then we saw: well, he's a normal guy. Cool, participates in everything, speaks Belarusian. No, maybe polished boots don't mean a person is from the KGB."

"Don't lower the flag!"

A true turning point, after which it became clear that Dashkevich was a born leader, occurred three years later, during a demonstration on Freedom Day in 2003:

"The situation was like this. We were walking along Skaryna Avenue (now Nezalezhnastsi Avenue — NN). The police started warning us: 'You'll reach Varvasheni Street (now Masherau Avenue) — and they'll start arresting you. If you drop the flags and pass that intersection, you'll reach Yakub Kolas Square, where you want to go.'"

The leadership of the "Young Front" decided to agree to this compromise:

"We conferred: 'Okay, let's lower the flags at the intersection, and then raise them again. Everything will be fine.' So I went around, warning everyone about this situation, and everyone lowered their flags."

However, as Seviarynets recalls, Zmitser Dashkevich refused to follow this order:

"Zmitser Dashkevich walks alone with a big flag.

— Zmitser, lower the flag!

— This is not just a flag.

— How is it not a flag?

— This is a national shrine! I won't lower it.

— Zmitser, they're going to disperse the people right now, what are you doing? It's a party order!

— Get lost with your party order."

As a result, the special forces dispersed the action, and all activists ended up in one cell at Akrestsina. Pavel Seviarynets admits that he wanted to have a serious talk with Dashkevich there. However, the cellmates' reaction was unexpected.

"I said: 'Zmitser, listen, do you understand that because of your one flag, we all ended up here?'"

The whole cell in chorus: "Zmitser is great! Everything is right! You shouldn't lower the flag even for a minute!"

As Seviarynets states, this incident became a lesson for him:

"I realized I was wrong. Such tactical moves and considerations can lead you astray, but the people sided with Zmitser."

Since then, Zmitser Dashkevich became one of the undeniable leaders of the youth movement and eventually headed it.

Павялічыць

Zmitser Dashkevich. Photo by Nadzeya Buzhan

Flag at the "Our City" action

As Pavel Seviarynets recalls, at one time the "Young Front" regularly held the "Our City" action, during which white-red-white flags were hung in various cities:

"We raised white-red-white flags at key points in Belarusian cities. Sometimes there were dozens of cities. We liked to do this on Valentine's Day, on Freedom Day. And simply to mark the heights over Belarus with white-red-white flags, flags of Christ."

It was precisely such actions that were an opportunity to test promising newcomers — how capable a person was, how far he could go in the struggle.

Zmitser Dashkevich also received a task. As Seviarynets recalls, they chose an interesting location:

"It was in the block where the House of Press is located. And the building faces Surhanava Street on one side, where BelaPAN is, and on the other side it faces 'Sovetskaya Belorussiya', 'Respublika', all state publications. And it was on this five-story building that the flag needed to be hung."

The situation was complicated by the winter weather.

"We find an entrance, climb to the roof. And it's winter, and typically Belarusian weather at that — the roof is like glass. And the roof is steep. We look out, I say: 'Zmitser, let's hang it from this side, on the parapet, 'Sovetskaya Belorussiya' will see it.'"

He says: "No, no, no, it has to be on the very roof, there's a lightning rod, I'll hang it there!"

As a result, the guys climbed onto the roof without any safety equipment:

"Absolutely nothing (...) We crawl onto the roof. (...) I'm literally crawling on my belly onto this roof. And Zmitser scrambles to the very ridge, takes his backpack in one hand, the flag (it was quite large) in the other, and, balancing on this ridge, walks to the lightning rod. He calmly ties the flag there in front of all the editorial offices and passersby. And returns."

Pavel Seviarynets admits that this was one of the most dangerous adventures in his life:

"How we slid down — there was still the problem of sliding back down — I still don't remember."

As Seviarynets states, this act showed the steadfastness and courage of Zmitser Dashkevich, who was ready to take risks for his ideals.

"Zmitser simply showed class. Zmitser is a really brave guy. And for Belarus, for the flag of Christ, he is ready to risk his life; I understood that even back then."

• 27
• 1
• 2
• 0
• 0
• 0
• 0
• 11