Students protest cuts

  • 2011-11-09
  • From wire reports

2 From wire reports, RIGA

A demonstration by students on Nov. 4 outside the Cabinet building, which saw the gathering of over 6,000 students, will continue if necessary, says the chairman of the Latvian Student Association Eduards Ratnieks, reports LETA. “This is only the beginning. The students are prepared to continue expressing their point of view. We completely surrounded the Cabinet building today, where education financing is decided on. I believe that this is symbolic,” Ratnieks added.
The head of the student association pointed out that the number of demonstrators could have reached 8,000, and that it only took two day to coordinate the demonstration.

Several thousand students from higher education establishments throughout the country surrounded the Cabinet building in a demonstration against government plans to reduce state funded placements in higher education establishments. The students slowly marched around the building and yelled various chants: ‘There is not a state without education!’ and ‘Let us build, not destroy!.’

It was observed that the building was at one point completely surrounded by the demonstrating students. The students placed several ‘presents’ for Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis (Unity) outside the building.
Traffic in the surrounding area, though, was not halted, as the students kept to the surrounding sidewalks.
It was initially planned that about 1,300 students were to participate in the rally, said Latvian Academy of Culture student Marta Cirule, who was one of the organizers.