RIGA - The United States has issued a warning to U.S. travellers that racist attacks are occurring in Latvia, reported Diena, the country's leading daily.
The U.S. Department of State warns that American citizens residing in Latvia or preparing to travel to the country should be careful, as racially motivated assaults have occurred in Riga, Diena reported.
"This is an unpleasant issue -- a negative fact about Latvia," said Ojars Kalnins, director of the Latvian Institute. Meanwhile, Latvia's Foreign Ministry noted that racism has gone from being a domestic policy concern to one of foreign policy. Therefore, the ministry will draw the government's attention, asking whether law enforcement is capable of eliminating the problem.
Verbal and physical attacks on an Indian, an African American and a Jewish rabbi have caught public attention lately. The U.S. Embassy in Latvia obtained information about yet another attack on July 1 in Riga's Old Town. The victim was an American, thus prompting the warning to the U.S. citizens.
