Viasna: police arrest over 300 people at Rainbow Family event in Viciebsk region

July 30, Pozirk. Police arrested about 350 people, including entire families, during a raid on the annual gathering of the Belarusian Rainbow Family community near Rasony in the Viciebsk region on July 29, the local branch of the Viasna Human Rights Center reports.
The Rainbow Family movement originated in the United States in the 1970s and was largely inspired by the Woodstock Festival. Its members organize non-commercial, multi-day gatherings in nature, live in tent camps, run communal kitchens and make decisions by consensus.
Following the arrests in a tent camp, several children spent the night in a temporary detention center alongside adults. Law enforcers accused the arrested of participating in an unauthorized mass event and warned that their cases would be heard in courts within two months.
A similar incident occurred in Viciebsk last year, when police arrested more than 300 Sri Lankan students who were celebrating New Year and classified their gathering as an unauthorized mass event.
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