The interior ministry warned on June 15 that street protests organized through social networking sites could involve explosions and gunfire, BelaPAN said. While talking to reporters in Minsk, Kanstantsin Shalkevich, spokesman for the ministry, said that what he called "provocations" could be orchestrated by the organizers of the protests and could affect ordinary people.
He was apparently referring to an online campaign calling for "silent" anti-government protests in Belarusian cities' central squares every Wednesday.
The call has been made by a pro-democratic community on Vkontakte, the largest Russian-speaking social networking site, which says that participants should avoid displaying any flags or banners and chanting any slogans during the protests.
Mr. Shalkevich acknowledged that it would be hard for police to tell a person "taking a walk in the framework of the event" from an ordinary passer-by.
The police spokesman condemned the organization of "unauthorized mass events" through social networking sites as a "new means of the organization of mass disorder."
The online campaign is aimed at "destabilizing the situation in society, at attracting ordinary people to participation in mass disorder," Mr. Shalkevich said.
Law enforcement agencies are hunting for the people behind the online campaign, he warned.
"The police are ready to secure order across the country, including in the capital. Any attempts at destabilizing the situation will be nipped in the bud," the spokesman said.
He did not answer a question whether police would seal off Kastrychnitskaya Square in Minsk on June 15.
The police regularly make security warnings ahead of anti-government protests in Minsk, which many say are a mere attempt to scare off potential participants.
Hundreds of people, mostly youths, took part in a "silent" protest in Kastrychnitskaya Square on June 8.
Many were sitting silently on the steps of the Palace of the Republic. A man with a guitar appeared in a while to sing a couple of songs, which brought a huge round of applause. Those surrounding him began singing a song by Belarusian cult band N.R.M.
Ihar Yawseyew, deputy chief of the Minsk city police department, and other police officers were present at the scene. They watched the young people without interfering.
Alyaksandr Lukashenka warned on June 14 that he was aware of the online campaign and would not allow any protests and demonstrations in Belarus.
"Our conscious ones [mock reference to oppositionists] in Minsk are calling for strikes through social networks on the Internet," Mr. Lukashenka said. "I will watch and observe for a while, but then I'll whack them so hard they won't have time to flee abroad."
