‘I Have Never Seen Such A Freak Show’

A Belarusian woman talks about Lukashenka's absurdity at school.

A reader of the Charter97.org website, who worked at a school for 30 years, told about the most unusual sight she encountered during her professional career:

— Today, talking to a friend, I mentioned my participation in public life. To be honest, it was not very active. All of us, teachers, were forcibly enrolled in the “Water Rescue Organization”. We willingly and forcibly paid monthly dues there. But in 2020, I finally decided to leave the state trade union.

True, I worked outside the Belarusian Trade Union Federation for a little less than two years. After a tough conversation with the director, I was faced with an existential choice: either I am a “member” of the trade union and continue to work, or I am a person free from work duties. At my age, who will employ me? I was forced to join the ranks of this famous organization again.

And so they called me to a union meeting where they were electing a new chairman and some responsible persons of our school organization. I have never seen such a freak show in my 50-odd years. The elected chairman and his assistants had to read the oath of the union in front of the entire staff. An amazing spectacle!

After the oath, they sang the union anthem (I, to be honest, did not sing, well, I just sat there, suppressing laughter with all my might, so that it would not burst out). To make the action complete and comprehensive, the next point of the “inauguration” of the chairman was tying a union tie on him.

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