21-03-2006: Danes stopped at Belarus border with tent

Tuesday evening, 21st of March, two Danes was taken off the train, trying to cross the Belarus border carrying a tent, three sleeping bags (one for the Swede at Maidan as well), blankets, thermo bottles and Danish, Estonian, Swedish and Norwegian flaggs.

"We were on our way to join the democratic demonstrants at October Square, intending to stay there until the very end of the demonstration" says Jonathan Nielsen, Press Officer for the Friends Across Borders Election Observation Mission, one of the two bordercrossers. When meeting the Belarus borderguards, these had only two questions for the trainpassengers.... "Are you from Denmark?... Are you bringing tents?"

"Dispite the many obsticles that the Belarus authorities have tried to put before us, we will continue our support to the democratic development in the comming days, weeks, months and years" says Jakob Knudsen, Head of Mission.

"The hostilities from the Belarus authorities towards us Danes, have totally backfired on themselves. Never has Belarus had so much European press coverage. Our deported Danes last Monday, meant that Belarus was put on the European mediamap allready then, and not just on election night itself", says Jonathan Nielsen.