Grigory Azarenok and political scientist Petr Petrovsky discussed the proximity of Belarusian authorities to the citizens on the “Azarenok. Napryamuyu” program on July 3, 2024.
“Our deputies ride the metro and sit with people, as our leaders and ministers do. We don't have this alienation between the authorities and the people. <...> Let's recall France, the U.S.A. Biden goes somewhere, they cordon off half the city,” Petrovsky said.
“We remember the inauguration, four rows of barbed wire.” Grigory Azarenok added.
Extraordinary security measures at Joe Biden's inauguration are true. In 2021, after the storming of the Capitol and fears that Donald Trump supporters might disrupt the event, the administrative building was surrounded by a fence. This was not the case during previous inaugurations, so a large crowd gathered on the National Mall that day.
However, Belarusian authorities surpassed even the United States' unprecedented measures. The inauguration of Aleksandr Lukashenko in 2020 was held in secrecy. The date, place, and time were not publicly announced. And the police had been dispersing protesters on that day.