The Belarusian embassy in The Hague was defaced in the night from Saturday to Sunday, as several windows were broken and graffiti critical of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko was sprayed on the front of the building.
The act of vandalism comes just days after Lukashenko played a major role in defusing the mutiny attempt of Wagner group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, who currently remains in Belarus. Dutch police apprehended a 31-year-old man in connection with the incident.
“We confirm that the building of the Belarusian embassy in the Netherlands has been vandalised,” the Belarusian Foreign Ministry told national news agency BELTA regarding the incident.
“The glass was broken, and the façade was soiled. A law enforcement unit arrived and apprehended the intruder,” it added.
“Luka-Terrorist” was written in red and white graffiti on the facade of the building in the city centre, along with “Viva Belarus!”, which was written in Belarusian.
A white-red-white flag was also painted on the embassy’s door. The flag is a historical flag of the country and has been widely used by the Belarusian opposition since the 2020 protests against Lukashenko’s regime.
“No matter how rightly angry you are with the regime of Belarus, Russia or other countries, do not attack their embassies or residences,” Dutch lawmaker Sjoerd Sjoerdsma (D66/Renew) tweeted following the attack.
“You won’t help anyone, and you will make our diplomats in those countries more unsafe,” he added.
The incident occurred just a day before the Belarusian Day of Independence, celebrated annually on 3 July.
(Benedikt Stöckl | EURACTIV.com)
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