The Russian Embassy in Latvia called the demolition of the monument to Pushkin in Riga a “cowardly trick”

The dismantling of the monument to the Russian poet Alexander Pushkin in Riga is a “cowardly trick” and a “treacherous step” by the Latvian authorities. About it says in a statement from the Russian embassy in Latvia.

“This cowardly trick of local Russophobes, undertaken out of fear of the consolidation of the inhabitants of the republic on the basis of common cultural values, will not change the fact that hundreds of thousands of Latvians are still reverent and will always honor the great literary heritage that A.S. Pushkin is a truly global poet,” the diplomatic mission stressed.

They noticed that the demolition of the monument was carried out “secretly, under the cover of night, in order to avoid unnecessary resonance.” The embassy reminded that the decision to dismantle the sculpture was made without taking into account the opinion of the inhabitants of Riga and the author of the monument, Alexander Taratynov. What happened at the embassy was considered “a sign of the republic’s own weakness”.

Earlier today Delfi Portal informedthat a monument to Pushkin was dismantled in Riga. One of the authors of the initiative to demolish the monument, the vice-speaker of the city assembly Linda Ozola, commented on the demolition of the monument on her Twitter account with the words “another historic day.”

A monument to the Russian poet Alexander Pushkin was erected in Riga’s Kronvalda Park in 2009. The Council for Monuments of the Riga City Council supported the proposal to dismantle the monument to Pushkin on March 3, as it was allegedly erected illegally – without the support of the State Inspectorate for the Protection of Cultural Monuments and the Council for Preservation and Protection historical center of Riga. In the middle of the month, opponents of the demolition of the monument came out to the building of the Riga City Council.

According to Delfi, the dismantling of the sculpture was necessary in order to “suspend the split in society and the further escalation of this issue.”