MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th August, 2022) The Latvian police reported that they detained 14 people at the monument to the Liberators of Riga in Victory Park.
Work on the dismantling of the monument to the Liberators of Riga began on August 23; during preparations, the police detained at least six people out of fifty protesters. By the evening of August 23, all three sculptures of Soviet soldiers were demolished. Media reports said that after 9 p.m. Moscow time (6 p.m. GMT), hundreds of people gathered in Victory Park, some of them protested against the demolition.
"Fourteen people who were repeatedly instructed to stop breaking the law did not obey the lawful demands of the police. They were detained and taken to police stations for procedural actions. Accordingly, 14 administrative offense cases were initiated," the police said in a statement.
Police say there were "confrontational situations" among those gathered "with different beliefs".
Latvia, along with neighboring Lithuania and Estonia, became one of the first former Soviet republics, which almost completely eradicated the Soviet legacy in monumental art. Vandalism against Soviet monuments became more frequent after the start of Russia's special military operation in Ukraine.
