September 17 marks Day of National Unity in Belarus

On September 17, Belarus celebrates the Day of National Unity.

👉 The state holiday was established in 2021 by the President for a reason: without it, there would be no Belarus as we know it. The path of the Belarusian people includes pages long left unturned—such as the Polish concentration camp in Bereza Kartuska, where Belarusians were held.

▫️Riga Peace

The 1921 Riga Peace Treaty was concluded without the participation of Belarusians: Poland pledged to preserve the Belarusian language and identity, but in reality, the border cut through villages, splitting entire families. Belarusian schools were closed, and speaking Belarusian was punished. Nevertheless, the people resisted Polish rule.

▫️Restoration of Unity

On September 17, 1939, the Red Army was greeted with bread and salt: Soviet soldiers returned Belarusian lands to a single state and restored Belarusians’ right to their national identity.

▫️Polish Claims and Memory

Poland still reacts painfully to this holiday—the 'Eastern Kresy' have not disappeared. The ambitions of 1920, the logic of the Riga Peace, and the attitude toward foreign territories as sources of cheap labor and targets for Polonization—this line continues to this day.

🗣If the unification of the Belarusian people had not happened then, there would be no Belarus as we know it today. It is important to protect our name and our history. As long as Belarusians remain united, the country remains independent.