RIGA - A total of 14 people have been detained for attacks on representatives of sexual minorities in the Latvian capital Riga on Saturday during the gay and lesbian pride festival.


National Police spokeswoman Sintija Kajina told the Baltic News Service that 13 of the detainees face administrative charges, while a criminal proceeding will be started against one person who was detained. The charges stem from an attack on gay and lesbian people who attended a service at the Anglican Church in Riga as part of the Friendship Days festival held last week.

An angry crowd threw tomatoes, eggs, and excrement at people entering the church service. Later, they threw eggs and splashed water on a taxi in which Swedish participants of the Latvian gay festival were travelling to the airport. The taxi was chased on its way to the airport, and attempts were made to push it off the road.

The Baltic Times

See also the following:

"Gay Activists Targeted at Riga Pride"
UK GayCity News

Report from the BBC

"Riga Gay Pride Under Siege by Fascists"

LIVE COVERAGE from Riga this last Saturday by Gayrussia.ru

Sophie In't Veld, Dutch member of the European Parliament: "It's Putting Europe to the Test"

A moving first person description of what happened on Saturday in an open letter from Lars Grava, a founding member of Mozaika

Visit and support Latvia's LGBT group and Pride Organizer Mozaika

Fonte: ILGA