Belarusian opposition: "We need to use the World Championship to show foreign guests what really Belarus is"

"I predict the preventive neutralisation of opposition activists who can 'spoil the fairy tale of power'," said Anatoli Lebedko, leader of the United Civil Party of Belarus, in a press conference to announce the realisation of a seminar with the evocative title: "How to cheer for Belarus at the 2014 World Championship". 

"The Belarusian authorities will paint the fences and facades, make discounts on alcohol and try to show how beautiful Belarus is." 

In the years leading up to the games, Belarusian opposition has tried to persuade the IIHF and the international community to cancel, boycott or move the 2014 World Championship but, despite the support of European Union and United States Congress, it's now clear the event will happen as planned. The new main goal, according to the leader of the United Civil Party, is to prevent the government from using the event as a celebration of its power. 

"Our task now is to engage the international community, our foreign partners," said Ledebko. "We are preparing materials for the foreigners coming to the World Cup in 2014 with portraits of political prisoners. We invite all to came to Belarus with t-shirts with the image of political prisoners and the white-red-white flags, or they could pick them up when the Belarusians themselves can not do it. We must show the real Belarus."

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