Young Front - Activity

Activity

The Young Front has about 1000–1500 activists in its ranks, incorporated in regional and district branches. The supreme body – the Congress takes place at least once every two years. The organization is headed by the Sejm and the Office of the Young Front between the Congresses.

The Young Front is a member of political youth international organizations such as European Democrat Students і the Youth of the European People's Party; has partnerships with sister organizations of Ukraine, Sweden, Lithuania, Poland and other countries.

Since 1997 the Young Front has been holding a permanent socio-political campaign "The city is ours!" On important dates and on the eve of important events the YF activists massively hang at roofs white-red-white national flags all over Belarus. Actions “The city is our!" were held in many cities of Belarus – more than 2000 flags were hung all in all.

As a result of active and successful activity in 1999 the Young Front has already a rating of popularity among young people of 10.8%, trailing only pro-governmental Belarusian Republican Youth Union (48.3%) and BCM (25%).

In 2000 at the parliamentary elections the Young Front held a boycott campaign under the title: "Forgery" – ridicule of electoral farce organized by Lukashenka.

The Young Front during the presidential election campaign in 2001 became the organizer of the Belarusian Youth Congress, in which more than 520 delegates from each part of Belarus took place. It also initiated the signing of special Agreement between the only candidate from the opposition and the youth. During the presidential election campaign in 2001 the Young Front became a mamber of the mobilization campaign “Choose!” During the selection rush the Young Front made more than 1100 moves in more than 120 Belarusian cities.

On 24 September 2001 the Young Front organized guard in the region of Kurapaty, being against the reconstruction of Minsk encircling highway, as it thought that a new road could pass the burials. More than 120 activists took part in 8 months’ move “Kurapaty’s Protection”.

According to the Baltic Service of Gallup Institute over October 2002, the rating of the Young Front among the whole population of Belarus was 6,3%, among the youth (18–30 age) – 14%, what amazing is that all political parties have 0,5%–5% popularity, and “the factor of fear” in the society is very high.

The members of “The Young Front” participated and won in local council elections (2003) in several districts, took part in the elections to the House of Representatives of Belarus in 2004, but without any success. The block Young Belarus, established by "the Young Front" was a part of the Committee of democratic political forces, and then formed a part of the United Democratic Forces.

The activists of the Young Front collected more than 40000 signatures against the holding of the referendum in 2004 concerning the remarks to the constitution which lift restrictions for two presidencies. “The Young Front” organized a protest move at Oktyabir’skaja Square (Kalinouskaga Square) . Zmitser Dashkevich, one of the leaders of “The Young Front” and “Young Belarus” was arrested and taken to prison for 10 days of the administrative arrest. Pavel Sevyarinets, one of the founders of “The Young Front”, the leader of “Young Belarus” was arrested for 3 years of so called “labour imprisonment” for organizing unauthorized demonstrations on the day of the referendum and the next day.

During the 2006 presidential election campaign the Young Front was one of the organizers of the protest moves against the falsification of voting results, and also they organized “the encampment” at Oktyabir’skaja Square (20–24 March 2006).

In June 2006, the members of the Young Front, deprecating the criminal persecution of activists of the organization, went on hunger strike, which became one of the longest and mass socio-political hunger strikes. It lasted for 24 days by more than 100 people.

Some activists and leaders of the Young Front traced into the organizing committee of the establishment the Belarusian Christian Democratic Party.

In 2008 the members of the Young Front held a number nationwide campaigns. Within the scope of social campaign "Belarusian Book – To Children" the activists of the Young Front collected thousands of Belarusian-language publications which later were given to orphanages in Minsk and other Belarusian cities. Also the things and money which had been collected at the Christmas festival “Hurry To Do Good” in which lots of Belarusian outstanding musicians and socio-political figures participated were handed to orphanages and boarding schools.

From 7 to 10 December 2008 “The Young Front” carried out a campaign “Communism before a tribunal” which was finished by a daylong fast. During the campaign “The Young Front” organized dozens of anticommunist pickets and informational moves in whole Belarus, held extensive social-scientific conference “The Crimes Of Communism. Numbers and Facts”.

In 2008 during the campaign "MTS in Belarusian", firstly started by the Saligorsk blogger, fascinated people addressed a range of letters and e-mails to the headquarters of presentation of “MTS” in Belarus. In response the mobile operator created a Belarusian-language version of website. Later the activists handed the headquarters of the company more than 2500 signs for the Belarusification of the MTS. As a result, customer support service in Belarusian appeared on the receivers of telephone subscribers.

The Young Front is the leader of political street resistant movement, organizing dozens of street protests annually. The most known one among them is a traditional move St. Valentine’s Day. Since its existence the organization carried out dozens of national socio-political campaigns, the most famous of which are the following: "The Move of Love" "The City is Ours", "Belarus to Europe", "Elections", "Choose!", "No to the Third Time", "We Want the New", "Boycott 2008", "Communism Before a Tribunal", "Belarusian Book – To Children", Christmas Festival".

In the 2011 protests following Lukashenko's disputed 2010 re-election, Dashkevich and Eduard Lobau were both arrested for assault. The two were sentenced to two years' and four years' hard labor, respectively. They were subsequently named prisoners of conscience by Amnesty International.