www.diena.lv, 13 May 2009

Another Decision to be Taken After All on Friendship Days March

By Ivo Leitāns

Although the executive director of the Rīga City Council, Andris Grīnbergs, believed this afternoon that there is no reason to take another look at the issue of the Friendship Days march in the Vērmaņdārzs park, the situation has changed. The Commission on Meetings, Marches and Demonstrations will meet again on Thursday morning to take another decision on the march. Commission member Valdis Voins, who is commander of the National Police, confirmed that he has been invited to attend the meeting.

Uģis Vidauskis, a representative of Grīnbergs, said that the executive director summoned the commission once again to discuss arguments cited in a letter from City Council members. Until the meeting, Grīnbergs will make no further comment. It is unofficially known that the possible scenario tomorrow might be this: If the march is still permitted after the commission meeting, the Rīga City Council might organise an emergency meeting to ban it. Several sources told Diena.lv that Grīnbergs was politically forced to summon the meeting, because there is no legal basis for it.

Mozaīka board chairwoman Linda Freimane said that this is “a pure election campaign circus, because deputies know perfectly well that there is no legal reason to ban the march.” She said that Grīnbergs had no choice, “if a clear order has been given from above.” By this she meant an ultimatum issued by Deputy Mayor Almers Ludviks (First Party of Latvia/Latvia’s Way) – that an answer must be given by 4:00 PM on Thursday. Freimane believes that the Council Meeting might be held late in the afternoon. Because the letter was signed by a majority of City Council members, the march might be banned. Then Mozaīka will immediately appeal before the Administrative District Court. She is certain that the court will permit the march.

Freimane also expressed regret that this is once again attracting negative publicity to Latvia. Moscow is another place where a Pride event was planned for this Saturday, but it was banned. “Accordingly, Latvia can be associated as a country which has the same understanding of human rights as is the case in Russia,” says Freimane.

As has been reported in the past, a majority of Council members on Tuesday signed a letter calling on the commission to revisit its decision about permitting the march.

According to the law on threats against public security, a local government can ban an event no later than five days before it is scheduled to take place. In exceptional cases, if new information about threats against public safety are received in those five days, the law allows the local government to take another decision on the specific event. This morning the executive director disseminated a press release to say that he had no information to suggest that the commission should meet again.

Voins told Diena.lv that as far as the National Police are concerned with respect to the Friendship Days march, “there is no new information about new risks against security.” The initiative for the meeting came from the executive director. Kristīne Apse-Krūmiņa, a representative of the Security Police, also confirmed that there is no new information related to the march.

Meanwhile, Līga Dimitere, the wife of Kaspars Dimiters, called on Wednesday for all mothers in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia to take a stand against the march. “Mothers must save the souls of children from sodomites who want to celebrate the ‘victory day’ of their own pride through the Baltic Pride. My country’s government has permitted this, and it has refused to protect children from this evil,” Dimitere wrote. She is asking women to wear bright white headscarves as a symbol of morality, hope and light, and to go out into the streets from the Cathedral of the Birth of Christ to the gates of the Vērmaņdārzs park.