Homel policeman steals, then tears Ukrainian flag

On March 9 Homel activists of the Young Front and Our Alternative coalition paid tribute to the memory of the writer Taras Shevchenko.

On his birthday they laid flowers and Ukrainian flags next to his monument, Young Front website reports.

In 5 minutes police came. One of the policemen in civilian clothes ran up to the monument, grabbed flags, then crumpled and tore them. After that he sat in a police car. The car was behind a cinema theater, from where the monument was not visible. It is still a secret how they managed to see the ceremony.

"We also want to ask our authorities, why do they waste Belarusians' taxes? The whole day two policemen were waiting to steal paper Ukrainian flags, which are sold everywhere", activists say.