Women of all ages stand with their arms linked together on the frontlines of a protest against Aleksandr Lukashenka – sometimes called ‘Europe’s last dictator’, who has been president of Belarus since 1994. In many of these already iconic images, the women are dressed in red and white and carrying flowers.
The role of women in these historic protests – which began after a national election on 9 August that Lukashenka says he won with 80% of the vote, an unbelievable result that has been widely disputed and condemned by international observers – has captured widespread media attention from the US to Ukraine.
What’s remarkable is that positive images and stories of women protestors have appeared on diverse news sites from left-wing outlets to evangelical Christian blogs – while some of the same mainstream media articles that have celebrated women’s role in the protests, and reported critically on Lukashenka’s misogyny, have also repeated and amplified sexist stereotypes in their own language and framing.
Numerous global media reports have emphasised the contrast between the “peaceful” and “quietly powerful” women on the one hand, and shocking police violence on the other. Within days of the election, more than a thousand people had been arrested at the demonstrations and at least two people had died.
The women’s protests were described by many outlets as a response to this crackdown – and as rallies “in solidarity” with men who had been arrested or beaten by authorities in the preceding days. By 14 August, The Guardian described growing “columns of flower-waving women” on the streets of the capital Minsk.
‘Shockingly underestimated’
Thousands of women, many carrying flowers, took to the streets in Belarus between 13 and 15 August against police violence. Many of the photos of women protestors picked up by the global media come from this period.
But women were involved in the resistance to Lukashenka before this too, and their role in the ongoing demonstrations continues. Videos published online have documented police beating women at protests, and last week Belarus’ Investigative Committee said that it would look into alleged rapes of female prisoners.
“From the beginning, this has been an uprising inspired and led by women,” said The Guardian, which connected women’s internationally visible role in the protests to the women-led opposition to Lukashenka in the election itself.
Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, leader of the president’s electoral opposition, had run with three other women on a simple programme – for new, free and fair elections.
This message inspired many people, who also admired Tikhanovskaya’ resolve, according to The Guardian, after Lukashenka publicly mocked her, suggesting she should focus on cooking dinner for her children instead of politics.
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Claire Provost Claudia Torrisi Inge Snip | Radio Free (2020-08-28T07:53:16+00:00) How women’s role in Belarus protests captured global media attention. Retrieved from https://www.radiofree.org/2020/08/28/how-womens-role-in-belarus-protests-captured-global-media-attention/
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