MINSK, 29 January (BelTA) – Universities are no place for political rallies, Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko said as he met with Belarusian students on 29 January, BelTA has learned.
The head of state noted that he remembers himself well as a student. So he knows how young people think and what ideas they live by. His youngest son is almost the same age as the participants of the meeting.
“You actively express your position in social media, in the streets, even to the face of the authorities. I'm aware of that. No one forbids you to speak out. You should have an opportunity to express your opinion,” Aleksandr Lukashenko stressed. "But you cannot violate the law. Universities are no place for political rallies. Rudeness and aggression towards teachers is all the more unacceptable. We have seen this in many universities. It is a matter not only of education and ethics but also of legal responsibility.”
At the same time, the president admitted that he is glad when students openly and sometimes defiantly oppose the authorities in matters of social and political life. While assuming th role of fighters with the system, one needs to understand that no state will allow destabilizing its foundations, breaking the law, destroying traditions, endangering people's lives, Aleksandr Lukashenko said addressing the students. “Maybe some think that we lack some laws, that these laws, in their view, are imperfect or altogether wrong and not needed. But, as lawyers say, the law is the law. Ignorance of law excuses no one,” the head of state said.
The president talked about how "the European democracies" crack down on protests in their countries – swift and tough. "Believe me, though the response to protests last year was tough, it was a far cry from that in the United States of America," he stressed.
