Ziedot.lv portal has started collecting donations to pay for the demolishing of the «Occupation Monument» in Pārdaugava, Riga. More than EUR 3 600 have been collected so far, according to information from the portal.
According to the objective of donation collection, authors of the initiative explain that symbols have a role. Authors state that the monument located at Victory Square is a symbol that reminds Latvians of the repressions, lost lives and country’s occupation.
«We cannot allow aggression in our homes and Latvia’s capital city. In a time when Ukraine fights for its independence and push away Russia’s brutal invasion, no provocations and incitement to hatred is acceptable in Latvia,» the description details.
The portal stresses that for decades Latvia’s nation was being suppressed. In a time when some perform attacks on people’s right to self-determination, values play the biggest role. What ancestors experienced in the tough occupation period and our parents’ secured independence is not forgotten, it is honoured and respected, the description details.
«Latvia’s nation values having a free and democratic country. This is why the «Occupation Monument» has no place in Latvia. Its symbol is occupation, people who glorify war and violence gather at this place. Their slogans and symbols that glorify occupation stain our country’s history, pride and values,» the description continues.
Residents are invited to donate money to demolish the ‘Occupation Monument’. Organisers promise that all money will be used to remove the rubble.
Read also: Riga vice-mayor: monument in Victory Park must be demolished quickly
The portal notes that the author of this initiative is the 4th May Declaration Club, which stands in favour of demolishing the «occupation pole».
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the topic of the monument located in Victory Park, Riga, has become a hot topic in Latvia.