The Mayor of Riga Mārtiņš Staķis intends to ask the city’s CEO to not coordinate the annual event at the monument to Soviet troops in Pārdaugava on 9 May. This announcement was made by Staķis in his interview to De Facto programme of LTV on 20 March.
His personal opinion is that such an event should not happen and there is no place for it in Riga and Latvia.
He proposed organisers of the event to not come to the municipal administration to apply for the event. Even if the municipality fails to prohibit it, no selling, catering, audio equipment or fireworks will be allowed there.
Such an event would be considered a celebration of death, said Staķis.
He stressed that the entire world commemorates the people who died in WWII on 8 May and laying flowers does not require a permit.
Rīgas mērs @MStakis (PP) aicinās pilsētas pašvaldības izpilddirektoru nesaskaņot ikgadējo pasākumu 9. maijā pie padomju armijas karavīru pieminekļa Pārdaugavā. Plašāku interviju ar Rīgas mēru skatieties šeit: https://t.co/FW5fsVeK5g pic.twitter.com/ICsaqKpkjE
— De Facto (@ltvdefacto) March 20, 2022
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As previously reported by Ministry of Justice, Latvian Minister of Justice Jānis Bordāns has reached out to every municipality in Latvia, including Riga, to not issue permits for 9 May festivities.
Bordāns noted that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s regime has started a war against Ukraine and the entire free world. By waging a war against an independent country, Russia shows signs of war crimes, especially in regards to attacks on civilians, children included.
The same Russian state with its current regime is the inheritor of the Soviet Union’s rights and obligations.
The same Russian tanks that participate in the 9 May «Victory Parade» at the Red Square are firing at Ukrainians right now, said the politician.
Bordāns says under such conditions any celebration of Victory Day would be considered an aggressive, amoral and downright divisive action that indirectly justifies Russia’s attack on Ukraine as the inheritor of the Soviet Union’s rights and obligations.
On 9 May former Soviet republics celebrate the so-called Victory Day – the celebration of victory over Nazi Germany in WWII.