RSSMonumental Battle
Feb 08
National Minorities 7 Comments
RIGA – In the aftermath of the heavy snowfall that blanketed Latvia last week, the city’s Ušakovs-Šlesers tandem had struggled to cope with tons of white fluffy stuff that fell out of the sky. Cleaning streets whose total length could bridge Riga with Prague is no easy task. But Mr. Bulldozer that task tried to complete the best he could. In the sleeping areas of the city with the population of 900,000, the snow remains not cleared and people had a reason to complain. In the town center, however, complaining about the snow took on a political and inter-ethnic conflict – much like a lot of things do in Latvia ahead of the October elections.
The former flagship newspaper Diena reacted to a complaint from a resident that a monument to the Russian general Barclay de Tolly stood snow-free, while a nearby monument to Oskars Kalpaks was covered in snow – in the words of the woman who complained – “up to his mustache.” While for some, it may that the evil city council, chaired by an ethnic Russian, purposefully ignored the Commander of the 1st Latvian battalion. While no one would deny that it’s a responsibility of the city to clean up monuments, first and foremost should probably come people who are still alive than those who left monuments behind.
Never mind a few non-historic factors about the two monuments. One stands closer to a pedestrian pathway. Another one is a somewhat poorly designed because it stands on a kind of square whose small portion near the main road serves as a sidewalk. One is a vertical statue. Another one is a form of a ship, collecting much snow.
We’re too eager to resort to our old self-preservation habits. We’re too quick to think that Russians are evil that they purposefully neglect Latvians’ monuments. We’re too comfortable thinking that someone somewhere is trying to get us. We rely on history for that irrational fear. We’re so comfortable, in fact, that when someone is not trying to get us, we feel at odds with ourselves, we feel out of our national comfort zone unable to move.
Katja
Feb 09, 2010 @ 23:19:40
Maybe those complaining should bear in mind that Barclay de Tolly was the typical citizen of 18th century multinational Riga – and he was actually of Scottish descent. He just happened to fight for the Russian army, or rather he was subject of the Tsar of Russia, who by the way also was not very “Russian” if you take into account that all Tsars after Peter the Great were married to German or Danish princesses. Barclay de Tolly became famous because he defeated Napoleon. He was so popular with his own troops – for being a lawful and just general – that they collected money for a monument to him, which was set up in Tartu, Estonia. As far as I know, the Estonians have no trouble with their Barclay de Tolly monument in Tartu.
cyrille
Feb 10, 2010 @ 04:51:50
What is wrong with latvian people, I am canadian and we have lots snow, we dont care about snow on the monument or the fish under the ice, we care about removing snow from the road,and the street for living peopel, snow on monument will melt in the spring.
I believe barclay de tolly was french general for napoleon but did not agree with napoleon so he went fight with the russian at that time, I think he will fight again mussolini too because he has no prejudice between different racial people like latvian government and many latvian people has again the russian people living in latvia.
cyrille
Feb 10, 2010 @ 04:57:21
The Latvian government says its decision to accept a detainee from the Guantanamo military prison camp is prompted by its close ties to the US. But the move has sparked concerns among the Baltic country’s citizens.
Of course, do you have terrorism problem in latvia, well It is coming if the prisonner come to latvia and I see the government still be the american marionnet , USA tell latvian government what to do and they do, what a sheme.
They want russian people only speak latvian, what a stupidity, it only create more friction and more problem in latvia…what not just get along together and the ECONOMY WILL IMPROVE IN THE NEAR FUTURE.
Aleks
Feb 11, 2010 @ 10:39:31
To be fair about the Gitmo detainee, there hasn’t been a public survey done to see how Latvian residents feel about it. There was a story about it with some quotes, but I’d like to see a scientific survey before I jump to conclusion that most Latvians oppose it or worried about it.
Asehpe
Feb 14, 2010 @ 12:24:46
Cyrille, if you think they want Russians to speak only Latvian, you know little about Latvia and what happens there. Try to read a little more.
Dazza
Feb 16, 2010 @ 20:04:13
Lack of Leadership in Latvia gives rise to all the problems the people of Latvia have had to endure. I Live on a historic street in Riga where so called owners have been allowed to claim property back that they may have owned 60 years ago ” not really sure how they prove this” and kick out all of the residents only to leave the properties derelict and have no interest in investing the money in refurbishment. This is all Thanks to Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga and her looney ideas. All recent parliment politicians and presidents have been using up the countries money capital like water and it is only coming to light now just how corrupt the system is! This Language situation in Latvia is rediculous and will fail because they don’t encourage people to learn Latvia they force it down your throat like a jagged pill, but they are doing a good job of killing off the language anyway because many people of student age have left Latvia to work abroad and now speak English so why would they ever want to speak Latvian when they speak the universal language of the world. The Latvian Goverment are so Anti Russian that they have damaged most of the trade lines with Russia and then complain when Russia decides to source their products from other countries. The latest attempt of forming a new coalition government to try and stop the Russian Party from leading the country is just another attempt at the dead wood government to keep power by using the “Russians are coming” and we won’t be independant any more to scare the already miss lead population to allowing the incompetent so called leaders back in to power. People of Latvia Wake up and smell the Coffee in the 10 years i have been in Riga it has got worse and worse and until you vote and change some thing it will not get better. Forget about the Language and independance fears your attention should be on saving the country and creating a oppertunity for all who live in Latvia.
Asehpe
Feb 17, 2010 @ 20:17:09
Dazza, there is no future for a people who forgets who they are. Ask the Prussians. They are gone.
Latvians have to wake up and become smarter about how to run a country — Russians won’t help; they’ve made enough confusion in Russia already, exporting it to Latvia will do no good.
Why not look at the Estonians? They’ve been doing a couple of things right (among which not having trusted the prosperity bubble and actually having kept their budget stable).
Rather than copying Russia, Latvia should copy Estonia. And Poland.