Peaceful anti-government protests sooner or later become radical
18 October 1905 g. old style or 31 October, according to the current account, shots of soldiers in the gathered crowd sounded on the Railway Station Square of the provincial city of Minsk. As a result, about 80 people and were injured more 300. This event in Soviet times was called "Kurlovskiy execution" after the Minsk governor Pavel Grigorievich Kurlov. And how often does it happen, history went into action, formed from a mixture of truth and fiction. Was, breakwater, peaceful demonstration of workers, fighting for freedom, but the Russian governor took advantage of the opportunity to fight the revolutionary movement and arranged the execution. In reality, everything was much more complicated..
The shots at the Railway Station Square in Minsk should be viewed in the context of the developing anti-government protest, known as the First Russian Revolution. Then together with the economic requirements (about an eight hour day, increase in wages) political (abandonment of autocratic government, introduction of the constitution, people's representation). Strikes took on an organized strike character. 11‑12 October workers of the Minsk railway joined the protesters. Then all enterprises in the city stopped their work, educational institutions ceased to function. Every day there were meetings with revolutionary slogans. The strike committee of railway workers saw them off in the largest hall of the station. Radical parties, illegal, created their own fighting squads "for the development of the revolution", armed with firearms. This was done, according to the testimony of the revolutionary Khaim Belenky, not only the Bolsheviks, but also representatives of a more massive party in the Belarusian provinces - the Jewish Bund. The situation in the city was heated to the limit.
Under these conditions, the Minsk governor Pavel Kurlov ordered to take government agencies under increased protection., banks, telegraph and railway platforms. At his disposal were the Oka Infantry Regiment, another infantry battalion and four hundred Cossacks. 12 October Kurlov held a meeting, where he warned about the need to act with weapons in the event of an increase in unrest. Some active protester leaders were arrested, an administrative process was initiated against them. The governor, the city administration and the police acted in these circumstances within the law.
Governor Pavel Kurlov
17 October, Emperor Nicholas II signed the Manifesto on the granting of civil liberties (personal integrity, freedom of conscience, the words, assemblies and unions), on holding elections to the State Duma, having legislative powers. The text of the Manifesto just arrived at the printing house, and the protesters in Minsk already knew about its content and interpreted it in their favor. The strike committee of railway workers was preparing the next day for another meeting in the station building.
18 October, people began to gather at the Railway Station Square, agitators called for the overthrow of the monarchy and the establishment of a republic, without which, in their opinion, there can be no freedoms. The speakers presented the case in this way, that now the rallies have received their sanction and you can demand other freedoms from the local authorities. In particular, it was decided to demand the release of all those arrested for political reasons. For this, a delegation went to the Governor Pavel Kurlov. Knowing about the excitement of the crowd, the governor received the delegation, I explained, that people should not interpret the words of the Manifesto on their own, and in accordance with the explanations of the government. Kurlov allowed to hold a rally of railway workers in the station building and release those political prisoners, against whom the administrative process was initiated.
The crowd on the Railway Station Square greeted with cheers 15 released from pre-trial detention. However, it was decided to hold the meeting as before on the square., not in the station building. The number of meeting participants has reached 10 thousand. human. Red flags flashed in the square, the speakers ended their speeches with the appeal "Down with the autocracy!».
All this happened during the day in full view of officers and soldiers' pickets. Some protesters approached armed sentries. Small police force could not keep order, therefore, the gendarme officer maintained constant telephone contact with the governor, reporting on the situation in the square. There are two versions of the further development of events..
The first belongs to the organizers and participants of the rally (AT. Metlin, X. White). In the future, she was supported in departmental messages by the deputy mayor Stefanovich and the civil prosecutor Bibikov (both did not witness the event). According to their version, about 16.00 soldiers began to surround the protesters. Noticing this, one of the leaders of the meeting, railway worker Pavel Zhaba, declared the meeting over and called on the people to disperse. However, the soldiers without warning began firing rifles at the diverging people., many were injured in the back. The square was filled with the bodies of the dead, gathered in turmoil fled.
The second version is set out in the reports and memoirs of the Governor P.G.. Курлова, as well as in the report of the head of the Minsk Gendarme Directorate, Colonel von Wildemann-Klopmann. According to them,, some protesters attacked the guard soldiers and began to smash the station, which led to the return shots of the sentries first in the station building and on the platforms, and then on the square from the side of the soldier's picket on the overpass. This shooting was of a scattered defensive nature and began without a governor's order..
Both sides tried to shift the blame for what happened on each other. The organizers of the rally insisted on, that he was allowed by the governor (however not in the square, and in the station building!), that the people gathered to welcome the Tsar's manifesto and the demonstration was peaceful. Only in Soviet times did revolutionaries begin to admit, that the rally was anti-government. However, later they could not prove, that the execution was planned by the governor. They also overestimated the number of rally participants (to 15-20 thousand). Kurlov's actions were checked on the complaints of some people from the city administration. Privy councilor Morozov was sent by the police department to investigate the case on the spot.. As a result of his check, all suspicions of intentional and unnecessary use of cruelty were removed from the governor..
Sketch for the painting by Isaac Davidovich about the Minsk execution
Pavel Kurlov really did not differ in bloodthirstiness and vindictiveness when suppressing revolutionary uprisings. His tactics were based on taking preventive measures. Later, in his memoirs, he wrote: "Applying punishment in time, you can not use weapons when suppressing riots ". The governor was opposed to the use of infantry and small arms against the crowd, giving preference to horse riding. However, shots at the Railway Station Square in Minsk led to the death of people. Demonstrators, heated with speeches at the rally, provoked the guard soldiers to use weapons. Anti-government action ended in bloodshed.
Speeches against the government in general, usually, are not "peaceful", sooner or later, they become radical and can cause serious consequences. This is a lesson for Belarus today.
Priest Alexy KHOTEEV
