White-red-white flag

White-red-white flag
Historical flag of Belarus
Flag of the Belarusian democratic opposition
UseCivil and state flag, civil and state ensign
Proportion1:2
Adopted1918; 106 years ago (1918)
DesignA horizontal triband of white (top and bottom) and red.
Designed byKławdzij Duž-Dušewski

The white-red-white flag[a] is a historical flag used by the Belarusian Democratic Republic in 1918 before Western Belarus was occupied by the Second Polish Republic and Eastern Belarus was occupied by the Bolsheviks (two years later becoming the Belarusian SSR). The flag was then used by the Belarusian national movement in Western Belarus followed by widespread unofficial use during the German occupation of Belarus between 1941 and 1944, and again after it regained its independence in 1991 until the 1995 referendum.

Opposition groups have continued to use this flag, though its display in Belarus has been restricted by the government of Belarus under Alexander Lukashenko, which claims it is linked with Nazi collaboration due to its use by Belarusian collaborators during World War II. The white-red-white flag has been used in protests against the government, most recently the 2020–2021 Belarusian protests, and by the Belarusian diaspora.
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