A protest song by the Soviet-era rock group Kino has been banned from the radio in Belarus amid ongoing demonstrations against President Alexander Lukashenko’s rule, the opposition charter97 website said on Tuesday.
The song ‘Peremen’ (Changes) was written in 1987, four years before the collapse of the Soviet Union, and features the chorus «Our hearts demand change…our eyes demand change!»
The song, once the anthem of disgruntled Soviet youth, has seen an upsurge of popularity during protests against hardman leader Lukashenko, who has ruled Belarus for 17 years.
Protests have coincided with economic instability, with the former Soviet republic recently devaluing its national currency by 36%.
Internet-organized protests have lately taken the bizarre form of protesters clapping in order to express their dissatisfaction with Lukashenko, leading to a ban on public applause.
Belarus bans Soviet-era protest song as discontent mounts | World | RIA Novosti.