Is it true that "Live Belarus!" - Nazi slogan?

In 2022, the authorities of Belarus included the slogan "Live Belarus!" In the list of Nazi symbols. Supporters of the ruling regime argue that collaborators during World War II introduced this phrase. We decided to check if this is so.

In November 2022, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Belarus Completed The list of Nazi symbols and Nazi organizations in the Law “On the Prevention of the Rehabilitation of Nazism”, including in it the greeting of “Zhive Belarus!” Popular in it. The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Belarus calls him “collaborationist greeting” and explains that it “is a symbol of the 13th Belarusian police battalion at the SD and the 30th Grenadier (Infantry) division of Waffen-SS (Russian No. 2, it is Belorusskaya No. 1) along with the Nazi party greeting“ Khale Hitler ”and represents accompanied Straightened palm, exclamation "Live Belarus!" And the review "Live!" One of the initiators of amendments to the law, a pro -government historian and deputy of the House of Representatives of the Belarusian Parliament Igor Marzalyuk back in 2020 assertedthat this greeting began to use this greeting only during the Nazi occupation.

The slogan "Live Belarus!" gained widespread at the beginning of the twentieth century. The most famous mention of this time of the words "Live Belarus!" - Poem of the Belarusian poet Yankees Kupala, whose name in modern Belarus named the National Academic Theater, Streets and Parks.

Poem It was written between 1905 and 1907. Later the words "Live Belarus!" They met with other poets - for example, Fyodor Chernyshevich in the same name poem 1912. At the same time, the context was the same - the desire for national revival and sovereignty.

The newspaper "Our NIVA", which was from 1906 to 1920, the main printed publication published in the Belarusian language, I wrote In 1912, that "this cry breaks out of the chest of each conscious Belarus -" Live Belarus! ".

When in 1921 under the conditions Riga agreement The territory of Belarus was divided between Soviet Russia and Poland, many independence supporters went abroad. The slogan "Live Belarus!" For a long time it has become popular among the Belarusian emigration - its Used At meetings in Prague, Paris and Vilnius.

In 1941, the territory of Belarus was occupied German troops. The occupation administration encouraged the national movement, allowing the widespread use of the Belarusian language and symbols, including the white-red-white flag.

In 1943, with the permission of the General Commissioner of the district of Belarus, Wilhelm Cuba was created The Union of Belarusian Youth is a paramilitary youth organization following the example of the Nazi Hitler Yugen. The official symbols of the movement became the white-red-white flag and the slogan "Live Belarus!". The monthly journal of the Union of Belarusian youth was also called.

The phrase "Live Belarus!" It became a slogan and collaborationist military units. Franz Kushel, who was responsible during the occupation for the work of police battalions and volunteer divisions, in his memories He wrote: “In the [village] Urechye, a whole 36th Belarusian police regiment was built in front of me. "Live Belarus!" - From this I started and this ended my performances, and a powerful "chewing!" It flew out of the chest of the Belarusian policemen. " Kushel mentions this greeting in the description of another episode when the remnants 30th volunteer infantry division of the SS (1st Belorusskaya) They surrendered on April 30, 1945 by the American military. At the same time, there was no officially a greeting in the Belarusian volunteer units - in any case, it was not possible to find the relevant documents “verified”.

At the same time, the slogan "Live Belarus!" The Belarusian partisans were also used. For example, these words are in the “partisan march” of the poet Pimen Panchenko, and in the form that the authorities of modern Belarus consider the collaboration, with the answer “Life!”.

In the first post-Soviet years, the white-red-white flag became the state, and the slogan "Life Belarus!" Sounded at official events. For example, until 2020 he Plot Above the name of the "People's Newspaper", the official print publication of the Belarusian parliament. In addition, there is a video of 1995 in which the words "Live Belarus!" Alexander Lukashenko applauds, a year before that for the first time won the presidential election.

In the 2000s "Live Belarus!" Gradually became the slogan of anti -Lukashenko protests - for example, in 2006 in Minsk and in 2020 throughout the country, when the reason for street shares became Falsification voting results in the election of the head of state. The words "Live Belarus!" Under Lukashenko, they actually became illegal: for example, they held, for example, a resident of Gomel, writing This slogan on the snowman, or a mother -in -law, shouting "Live Belarus!" From the window. And at the end of 2022, the slogan was outlawed and de jure when it was included in the list of Nazi symbols.

Thus, the story of the use of the slogan "Live Belarus!" Similar in case of greeting "Glory to Ukraine!". "Live Belarus!" Supporters of sovereignty and cultural revival figures at the beginning of the twentieth century spoke and wrote, then it became popular among the emigrants. And during the Second World War he was adopted by collaborators. However, as in the case of the words “Glory to Ukraine!”, It was a popular slogan that had already existed by that time. In addition, during the war they used the Belarusian partisans. Therefore, the assertion that this is primarily a Nazi greeting is not true.

Photo on the cover:

Not true

What do our verdicts mean?

Read on the topic:

1. Mirror. Live Belarus! We tell how the famous national slogan appeared and who used it.
2. Is it true that the slogan "Glory to Ukraine!" Bandera invented?