On October 16, 2024, the Riga City Council made the controversial decision to dismantle several monuments in the city, including that of Russian general Barclay de Tolly in Esplanade Park, as well as monuments to writers Andrejs Upītis and Sudrābus Edžus.
The decision generated heated debates and protests in front of the city hall from a group of approximately 30 people, mostly Russian speakers. Deputy Mayor Edvards Ratnieks argued that the Barclay de Tolly monument represents “a form of glorification of the Russian Empire and an honor to Russification”, which has no place in the capital of an independent Latvia, especially in the context where Russia, as a successor to the tsarist empire, is committing war crimes in Ukraine.
The situation reflects the cultural and political tensions in the Baltic region amid the current Russian-Ukrainian conflict.
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