Thou­sands of pro­test­ers who have flood­ed Belaru­sian cities for six weeks of demon­stra­tions to demand an end to the 26-year rule of the country’s author­i­tar­i­an Pres­i­dent Alexan­der Lukashenko include peo­ple of all ages, pro­fes­sions and social groups. While younger peo­ple make up the bulk of the protests push­ing for Lukashenko’s res­ig­na­tion after the Aug. 9 vote that the oppo­si­tion sees as rigged, many retirees also have joined the dai­ly demon­stra­tions. The 73-year-old for­mer geol­o­gist has become one of the most rec­og­niz­able faces of Belarus protests, fear­less­ly wav­ing a huge red-and-white oppo­si­tion flag in front of riot police.