The Saeima faction of the National Alliance and the party’s board have decided to request dismissal of Latvia’s Minister of the Interior Marija Golubeva due to the situation observed at the Soviet monument in Pārdaugava on 9th and 10th May, as confirmed by the party’s representative Laima Melkina.
The party stats in its statement – if the PM and coalition parties do not respect National Alliance’s opinion, the party may decide to leave the government and call back its own minister.
«What every loyal Latvian person was forced to experience in their country on 9th and 10th of May is unacceptable. We cannot accept this an everyday occurrence for which politicians try to avoid responsibility by using symbolic criticisms and promises to do better in the future,» said the head of NA and chairman of the party’s Saeima faction Raivis Dzintars.
The politician says Latvia must do everything to make sure this situation never repeats.
As previously reported, in spite of invitations to commemorate victims of war in Ukraine on 9 May and not come to Soviet memorials, people in Riga still came to the monument complex in Pārdaugava. Still, authorities report there were significantly fewer people than there were in previous years.
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Flowers that were brought by residents on 9 May were removed from the monument the next morning, which caused people to come back and bring more flowers. According to police reports, some of the people who stayed at the monument closer to the evening acted aggressively and arrogantly, voicing slogans in support of Russia and glorifying its invasion of Ukraine. Police admit being caught unprepared by what happened on 10 May, stressing, however, that in the end crowding was prevented and perpetrators – detained.
After events of the start of the week police closed down access to the monument located in Victory Park.
Golubeva, commenting on the situation surrounding Victory park, announced that those who glorified military aggression or used symbols associated with military aggression are detained, including one youngster with a Russian flag. «Police defended the rights of Latvian citizens and used force when it was necessary,» stressed the politician. On 11 May Golubeva announced having no plans to step down.
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Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš has presented Golubeva with multiple tasks, including the preparation and presentation to the government an accurate evaluation of state institutions’ actions and planning to ensure public order, according to the statement released by the prime minister’s office after events of 9th and 10th May in Victory Park.