⁍ Belarusian police used stun grenades against protesters on Sunday.

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⁍ Tens of thousands of people headed towards Independence Palace in the capital Minsk demanding that President Alexander Lukashenko resign.

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⁍ The police action came hours before an ultimatum set by the opposition: Lukashenko must resign by midnight or face a national strike.

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– Tens of thousands of protesters gathered in the capital of Belarus on Sunday to call for the resignation of President Alexander Lukashenko, who has ruled the country for more than 25 years with an iron fist. The AP and Reuters report that protesters gathered in Minsk’s Independence Palace, which has been the site of previous anti-government demonstrations, and that Lukashenko’s opponents had issued a midnight deadline for him to resign or face a national strike. The deadline passed without Lukashenko making good on his promise to step down over last month’s disputed presidential election, which his opponents say was rigged. The US, the European Union, Britain, and Canada have imposed sanctions on Lukashenko and other officials in the wake of the election. In a call with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Saturday, he said Belarus and Russia were ready to respond jointly to external threats. Lukashenko has accused Western countries of meddling in the internal affairs of Belarus and trying to instigate a violent uprising against him. His main electoral challenger, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, has led calls from exile for a national strike to begin on Monday if Lukashenko refuses to release all political prisoners and resign to make way for a new election. “Today at 23:59 the term of the People’s Ultimatum will expire, and if the demands are not met, the Belarusians will start a national strike,” she said in a statement. Videos posted online by news organizations showed protesters running from police and hiding behind vehicles as explosions and tear gas rained down on the crowd.