An exhibition featuring photos from the war in Ukraine will be organised in the Victory Park in Riga, said Riga’s Mayor Mārtiņš Staķis in an interview to TV3 programme 900 seconds on 22 March.
He said 9 May event cannot happen in Riga while the war rages in Ukraine. «And I am rather sceptical about any major event, unless it’s not a support event,» stressed the politician.
A special exhibition will be hosted in Victory Park in cooperation with photographer Ilmārs Znotiņš, who selected high definition photos from different news agencies depicting Ukraine’s grey everyday life during this war.
The exhibition will be set up in Victory Park at the end of April and will remain there until mid-May.
«This is all symbolic from the viewpoint that Victory Park was established as victory square after our [Latvia] Freedom Fights, where Latvia proved to the world that a small but motivated army with a great desire for independence is able to win against overwhelming odds,» said the mayor of Riga.
Commenting if a concert in support of Ukraine could be organized in Victory Park on 9 May, Staķis said «we have better places for concerts».
As previously reported, Staķis has invited Riga’s CEO to not issue permits for events near the monument to Soviet troops in Riga on 9 May. He said this in an interview to LTV programme De facto.
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.
Victory Park in Riga to host exhibition with photos from Russian-Ukrainian war
