Minsk municipal executive committee banned May Day celebration for trade unions

The Belarusian Congress of Democratis Trade Unions (BCDTU) has been prohibited to hold a meeting on May Day, the International working-class solidarity Day.
The BelaPAN has been informed about that by the chairman of the BCDTU Alyaksandr Yarashuk.
As said by him, the official response of the city authorities, received by the leadership of the trade union on April 28, reads that “outdoor festivities with a concert programme” are to take place at the stage of the Park of Nations’ Friendship on that day.
As said by Yarashuk, the answer was “quite expectable”, as well as “the grounds were quite expectable as well.”
“Fear really has big eyes, so the authorities obviously fear any mass protest rally organized by trade unions,” Yarashuk underlined. “The only conclusion is: as they fear us, things look black, and the social and economic situation is hard. And their grounds are related to the imminent Ice Hockey championship in Minsk as well, I think.”
As the leader of the BDTU said, the Belarusian authorities probably fear that even a supposed mass rally of independent trade unions could trigger disturbances of workers.
“Let it be on the head of the authorities. They are in such a state that they fear their own shadow, let alone an organized rally of workers, representing independent trade unions,” Yarashuk summed up.

Kilde :  http://charter97.org/en/news/2014/4/28/96629/