RIGA, July 19, 2006  –  The Riga city council this morning denied a permit Saturday’s “Riga Pride 2006” march.

The request to stage the march had been made by Mozaīka, the association of lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgendered persons (LBGT) and their friends, and by the gay rights organisations ILGA Latvija and Rīgas Praids.

This morning’s meeting at the city council was attended by acting executive director of the city of Riga, P. I. Grīnbergs, and by representatives of several security structures of the Interior Ministry.

The city council justified its decision by invoking threats of violence allegedly received from extremist groups – and the police’s inability to guarantee security and order during the march.

According to city officials, the information about these threats is classified as a state secret, and will not be made public for 5 years.

Representatives of the national and security police noted that opponents of the Pride march have had more time to organize than last year.

They stated that this year the police has received information that the opposition could be violent.  If the march were to take place, they argued, the police would have to use extreme force to guarantee security.

Invoking the “proportionality principle,” the police argued against conducting the march anywhere in the city centre and urged the march organizers to voluntarily withdraw their request to organize the march.  City and police officials also referred to the nearly 100 anti-Pride protesters gathered in front of the city council building this morning, and the 17,000 signatures that have allegedly been gathered on an anti-Pride petition.

Newspapers in Latvia are reporting that the United States Ambassador to Latvia, Catherine Todd Bailey, met yesterday with Interior Minister Dzintars Jaundžeikars.  At the meeting, the Ambassador is reported to have urged the Minister not to ban the Gay Pride.

“We are shocked by the city council’s decision, which we view as not only an unacceptable restriction of the freedom of assembly, but a major blow to democracy in the face of terrorist threats,” said Mozaīka board member Linda Freimane.

“We are preparing to challenge the decision in the Administrative Court today.  Last year the Administrative Court acted very correctly by overturning the city council’s decision to revoke the Pride march permit, and so we are very hopefully that this year, too, the Court will defend democratic rights in Latvia by overturning the council’s decision.”

In London, Peter Tatchell, who is due to attend Riga Pride, said that the decision “echoes the bad old days of Soviet tyranny”.

“It is scandalous that a member state of the EU is giving in to threats and blackmail by religious fundamentalists and the far right,” said Mr Tatchell.

Earlier, the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church in Latvia had said the Pride march should not be allowed.

“It offends the morals of Latvia’s population and every Christian.  It is a challenge and provocation against our religions.”

Mozaīka believes that by forbidding the march, the city council is endangering not only the rights of sexual minorities, but the foundations of democracy in Latvia.

By caving in to the threats of terrorists and other extremists, a precedent is being established that will lead not to the consolidation of society, but to the victory of extremists and to the fully justified perception that threats are an effective instrument for limiting democracy, the group says.

“This precedent is extremely dangerous, because it demonstrates that the use or threat of force against a particular group is effective in winning the support of state organs in restricting the rights of this group.  No resident of Latvia will be able to feel confident that at some point similarly undemocratic methods will not be used against him or her,” Mozaīka says in a press statement.

Mozaīka pointed out that at least 20 foreign officials will be arriving in Latvia this week to participate in the march and Friendship Days, including members of the Swedish, Danish, Austrian and European parliaments, a Swedish army captain and representatives of several human rights organizations.

Today at 14:00 (local time) Mozaīka will hold a press briefing in Riga.  And tomorrow morning Mozaīka and its cooperation partners will be holding a full press conference to discuss the latest developments concerning the Pride march and Friendship Days.

Other events in the “Friendship Days” programme are not affected by the council’s “ban” – just the Pride March.

OTHER RIGA PRIDE COVERAGE