VITEBSK, 20 March (BelTA) – The police detained those protesters who behaved improperly during the rallies, as freedom does not mean all-permissiveness, Igor Marzalyuk, Chairman of the Permanent Commission for Education, Culture and Science of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus, said in an interview with the Kartina Mira program on the RTR-Belarus TV channel on 18 March, BelTA has learned.
The MP commented on the protest rallies and noted: “It is necessary to come out to talk to the people even when you think that they are not quite right. I came out. I did not hide behind any walls. I was elected by Belarusian citizens, and I am ready to talk to them. I asked those who had any problems to raise their hands. I saw seven people to do so. Some 40 people stayed behind to speak with me, and we talked for two hours and forty minutes. We can and should talk, and we should hear each other.”
“Those who behaved improperly were arrested. In Minsk there were people who covered their faces. The police detained one of the political strategists who worked in a campaign tent in the Maidan for one year. The detainees behaved in a way not typical of our people. If we want to solve a problem, even when holding opposing views, we need to hear each other's arguments and then to find a compromise. The most terrible thing is when hatred in words begets hatred in action,” Igor Marzalyuk noted.
“We are one country, one people. We may see the problem differently, but there are taboo things. These include violence and calls to violence. A man covers his face when he is afraid of something, when he plans a crime. This is why such acts entail tough punishment in many countries. I think we also need to toughen the relevant laws,” the MP said.
“Freedom does not mean all-permissiveness. Liberalism is about complete self-fulfillment, for instance, in business where the rights of others are not infringed. Freedom does not mean anarchy or destruction. We cannot speak about freedom when our security is not guaranteed, when we are afraid of walking in the street,” Igor Marzalyuk said.
When commenting on the international situation, the MP said that Belarus has its own stance. “We are not backup dancers. Belarus is a place where people are brought together, not put against each other. Putting external pressure on our country has no prospects. We are open to cooperation with both the EU and Russia. We see that some Russian politicians have groundless hard feelings against us. They say we have turned our face to the EU. We want normal relations with the EU. But we do not give up on our strategic union with Russia. We stand for equal relations. We would like to be allies to operate on the principles of honesty, integrity and equality. Belarus will be at the heart of the ‘big Europe' in the future,” Igor Marzalyuk said.
