Association of Belarusians in Great Britain
{{Infobox organization
| name = Association of Belarusians in Great Britain
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| native name = Згуртаваньне беларусаў у Вялікай Брытаніі
| native_name_lang = be
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| image = ZBVB_ABGB_plaque.png
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| formation = {{start year|1946}}
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| location_city = London
| location_country = United Kingdom
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| leader_title = Head
| leader_name = Mikalaj Packajeu
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| website = {{URL|www.zbvb.org.uk/}}
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The Association of Belarusians in Great Britain ({{langx|be|Згуртаваньне беларусаў у Вялікай Брытаніі}}, Zhurtavańnie bielarusaŭ u Vialikaj Brytanii) is the oldest Belarusian organisation in the United Kingdom uniting members of the Belarusian diaspora since the late 1940s until the present day.
History
File:Commemorative meeting of the Association in 2001.jpg, London, 2001’]]
After the end of World War II, several thousand ethnic Belarusians landed in Britain. Most of these people were former soldiers of the Polish Anders Army. Some of them were stationed in Britain during the war (1st Polish corps), with the bulk arriving from Italy with the 2nd Polish corps. The ranks were further swelled by arrival of so-called ‘displaced persons’ who found themselves outside Belarus during the war.{{Cite book|last=Nadson|first=Alexander|url=https://kamunikat.org/?pubid=37749|title=Ceslaus Sipovich: the first Belarusian Catholic Bishop in the 20th century (1914-1981)|year=2006|pages=36 at al}}
In 1946 the Association of Belarusians in Great Britain was established, with Dr. Vincent Žuk-Hryškievič as its chair. It soon became a “well-established and growing organisation”.{{Cite book|last=Жук-Грышкевіч|first=Раіса|title=Жыцьцё Вінцэнта Жук-Грышкевіча|publisher=Выдавецкі Фонд Успамінаў зь Беларускага Жыцьця|year=1993|location=Toronto|pages=83|trans-title=The Life of Vincent Žuk-Hryškievič, by Raisa Žuk-Hryškievič}}
The organisation had branches in London, Manchester and Bradford and acquired several buildings for its activities, including the Belarusian House in Islington, London. It became the first organization of the Belarusian diaspora established by the wave of emigrants from Belarus after World War II.{{Cite news|title=Станаўленьне|trans-title=Establishment|url=http://zbvb.org.uk/stanaulenne/|url-status=live|access-date=2021-05-09|website=Association of Belarusians in Great Britain|language=be|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190722133923/http://zbvb.org.uk/stanaulenne/ |archive-date=2019-07-22 }}
With the support of the association, the Anglo-Belarusian Society was established in 1954 with the aim to promote Belarusian-British contacts.{{Cite news|title=Далейшая дзейнасьць|trans-title=Further activities|url=http://zbvb.org.uk/dalejshaya-dzejnasc/|url-status=live|access-date=2021-05-09|website=Association of Belarusians in Great Britain|language=be|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190722133859/http://zbvb.org.uk/dalejshaya-dzejnasc/ |archive-date=2019-07-22 }}
File:Commemoration of the centenary of the BDR at the Palace of Westminster.jpg at the Palace of Westminster, London, 2018]]
Present day
The Association’s present-day activities include among others:
- commemoration of notable events in the history of the Belarusian independence movement, such as the proclamation of the Belarusian Democratic Republic in 1918 and the Slutsk Uprising in 1921;
- collaboration with and support of the Belarusian Democracy Movement, the 2020-2021 Belarusian protests;
- financial support of Belarusian cultural projects;
- organisation of meetings in Britain with prominent Belarusian cultural and political figures;
- engagement with British politicians and journalists.{{Cite book|last=Гардзіенка|first=Наталля|url=https://kamunikat.org/?pubid=14870&fbclid=IwAR1ullj5QBA2ZljClB-uCiqtMIB6mW3fT1i93AGY_pLEH0MQ0cxGh4ONyus|title=Беларусы ў Вялікабрытаніі|publisher=Згуртаванне беларусаў свету Бацькаўшчына|year=2010|isbn=978-985-6887-63-8|location=Minsk|pages=230|trans-title=Belarusians in Great Britain, by Natalla Hardzijenka}}{{Cite news|title=Сёньняшнi дзень|trans-title=Present day|url=http://zbvb.org.uk/syonnyashni-dzen/|url-status=live|access-date=2021-05-09|website=Association of Belarusians of Great Britain|language=be|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190722133925/http://zbvb.org.uk/syonnyashni-dzen/ |archive-date=2019-07-22 }}{{Cite web|title=Мікалай Пачкаеў:Толькі давайце, калі ласка, без "Россотрудничества"|trans-title=Mikalaj Packajeu: Let's do it, please, without "Rossotrudnichestvo"|url=https://budzma.by/news/mikalaj-pachkajeu.html|url-status=live|access-date=2021-05-09|website=budzma.by|language=be|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191129043007/https://budzma.by/news/mikalaj-pachkajeu.html |archive-date=2019-11-29 }}
File:Stanislau Suskevic in London 2018.jpg, the first head of independent Belarus, at a reception on the occasion of commemoration of the centenary of the Belarusian Democratic Republic, London, 2018]]
In 2018 the Association organised celebrations of the centenary of the proclamation of the Belarusian Democratic Republic at the Palace of Westminster.
Mikalaj Packajeu is the current head of the Association.
Notable members
References
External links
- [http://www.zbvb.org.uk/ Official website]
{{Authority control}}
Category:1946 establishments in the United Kingdom
Category:Belarusian diaspora in Europe
Category:Ethnic organisations based in the United Kingdom
Category:British people of Belarusian descent