RIGA - Riga City Council has decided not to allow the controversial "Russian March" that had been planned to take place Sept. 8. The decision, announced Aug. 31, was motivated by fears that disruptions could occur during the event.
The Latvian National Democratic Party 's the event's main organizer along with Russia's nationalist party Rodina (Motherland) 's had planned to use the march to promote citizenship for all Latvian residents and instituting Russian as an official state language.
LNDP leader Jevgenijs Osipovs seemed to confirm fears over security after he was quoted in the Russian press as saying that if the government did not take into account the ideals of their protest, then organizers and minority residents would be pressed to perform more radical activities "similar to those in France" 's an apparent reference to the widespread riots that took place throughout France in 2005.
During the City Council hearing, Osipovs vowed to find other forms of protest if denied the right to march. He said that the protestors' goal is "to signal to their enemies that starting this moment there will be no peace."
Commission representative Girts Auskaps said that council members were concerned by Osipovs' inability to give specific answers to questions about procedures during the march.
The Riga city's public relations department told the Baltic News Service that security police found evidence of a mood bordering on "incitement of national hatred" during the early stages of the planning for the event.
The Riga City Council Executive Director Andris Grinbergs said that this kind of propaganda "could spark spontaneous or planned incitement for law violations, which could grow into considerable public security and order breaches."
The Security Police were also worried by the previous activities of some of the organizers of the event, saying that it is possible the individuals would deliberately incite ethnic clashes during the event.
In response to the banning, Osipovs argued that LNDP was being denied the right to organize a "simple, peaceful protest." He contended that the move to ban the march constituted a breach of freedom and basic human rights.
He further said that he was only being denied the ability to march because of a similar event that was held in Moscow.
In recent months opposition marches in both Russia and the Ukraine have resulted in violent clashes.
Osipovs also pointed out that the City Council allowed a highly controversial 's and previously violent 's March 16 protest in honor of the Latvian Legionnaires, a unit that fought on the German side in WWII and whose remembrance angers the Russian community.
Osipovs said that he would appeal the decision and LNDP would continue to prepare for the march. He insisted that the planned event is completely peaceful and no extreme activities were planned.
While the protest remains banned, Security Police have promised a strong police presence on the streets throughout the day as a precaution against any possible violence.
