For the past two months, political discussions in Belarus have been dominated by the so-called “social parasite tax.” Two years ago, President Alexander Lukashenko introduced decree number three, “On the Prevention of Social Dependency.” The document states that citizens who receive social welfare benefits but do not pay payroll taxes — or do not pay them in full — must reimburse the government for its expenses.

The rule came into effect in the first weeks of 2017, when more than five hundred thousand Belarusians identified by the tax offices as unemployed were charged a $230 unemployment tax. Likely, only those with informal employment or with employed relatives will be able to pay the fee — in a country where the average monthly wage is $340, many simply can’t afford it.

This new policy triggered a series of protests nationwide. Aside from the “tax on parasiting,” different groups have brought other demands to the public. In Minsk, the capital and Belarus’s largest city, the demonstrations took a decidedly right-wing turn. Gradually demands to improve labor conditions, reinvest in social welfare, and make the country more democratic were replaced by nationalistic, pro-European, and pro-market rhetoric.