On Sunday, the 12th of March, Latvian Russians Union (LKS) political party will organise a protest against the removal of the monument to Russian poet Aleksandr Pushkin in Riga.
The event will take place outside Riga City Hall. The protest will start at 13:00 p.m. and will last two hours.
LKS believes the decision by Riga City Council’s Monuments Council to remove Pushkin’s monument from Kronvalds Park is an act of barbarism.
Previously it was reported that the aforementioned council supported the idea to remove or dismantle six monuments in the city. The monuments in question, according to the council, glorify the Soviet era.
The council approved the proposal to remove the monument to writer Andrejam Upītis in Kronvalds Park and the sculpture to «Stalinism era writer» Anna Sakse on Gaujas Street 1.
The council also agreed with the proposal to dismantle Aleksandr Pushkin’s monument in Kronvalds Park. The reason is that it was put there illegally.
The Monuments Council also approved the proposal to dismantle the 1978 monument dedicated to researcher, «three-times hero of socialist work of USSR» Mstislav Keldish located opposite to the University of Latvia. The council also approved the removal of the memorial plaque dedicated to historian Jānis Zutis. It is located on Basteja Boulevard 12.
Removal or dismantling of the aforementioned monuments was proposed by the Public Memory Centre.
Mayor of Riga Mārtiņš Staķis says the municipal administration has more important tasks to deal with than tackle the monument issue. These tasks include the municipal budget talks, for example.
According to him, monuments glorifying the Soviet Union have been removed in Riga. Removal of other monuments will require discussions.
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