UPDATE - Riga-22 July 13.30 hours
SEE LAST UPDATE AT THE END OF THE ARTICLE
The press conference of the Latvian LGBT group Mozaika in central Riga is under siege today by a mob of 70 fascists who have assaulted people as they tried to leave. The police presence is merely symbolic, being small and inadequate.
One of those assaulted was the openly gay pastor Rev Maris Sants. The Police refused him protection as he went to his car, where he was attacked.
“People attending the press conference had to be rushed out into waiting vans to be ferried away from the baying homophobic ñrowd, ” said eye-witness Peter Tatchell of OutRage.
“Earlier at 1100 hours today, the church service Rev Sants held in support of Riga Gay Pride was attacked by a dozen neo-nazis. Worshippers were pelted with shit and rotten fruit. Despite previously requesting police protection, no police were present to protect the congregation. Dutch MEP Sophie In’t Veld was one of the worshippers prevented from leaving the church by the homophobic vigilantes.
“The inaction of the Latvian police is scandalous. They seem to be doing the absolute minmum’ said Mr Tatchell.
Nikolai Alekseev, organiser of the first Moscow gay pride which faced violence on 27 May, who was also present at the press conference, said ”It feels like Moscow all over again. Homophobic mobs are roaming the streets of Riga with apparent impunity”.
As the Mozaika organizers, together with the Tatchell and Alekseev left the press conference, they were followed by facists in a van who pelted their car with eggs.
“Thankfully, they had only eggs, not bricks or guns. It was really scary as they zapped our vehicle. They chased us through the streets until we got to the Reval Hotel Latvia” said Mr Tatchell.
“Gangs of homophobs are wandering the streets of Riga, looking for gays and lesbians to attack. There is a small police presence outside the Reval Hotel but not elsewhere”
“A small number of neo Nazis have now infiltrated the hotel. We fear they are calling on their mobile phone to coordinate a fascist attack on the hotel. A group of anti gay right wingers got into the hotel lobby. They have just been evicted.
“The fascists are very well organized. They have a military-style operation. They seem to know everything Mozaika has planned and are able to disrupt every event the moment it starts” said Tatchell.
“It is astonishing. We don't feel safe. There is total chaos here. The police seem very weak and disorganized. The fascists are able to act at will” said Nikolai Alekseev, organizer of Moscow Pride.
UPDATE, 3pm local time:
As the speeches of local and foreign politicians are coming to an end at the Reval Hotel in a room where about 100 gays and lesbians came to celebrate what should have been Riga's 2nd Gay Pride, protesters started to attack those going out of the hotel.
The modern 4 stars hotel is not coordinated with the police to ensure the safety of the participants. The police is very slowly reacting to the protesters.
The first taxi that was trying to take one of the organizers from the hotel, was attacked by the protesters who pushed the cars, through eggs under the eyes the police. An old woman holding an icon in her hands was lieying on the car with a bottle that she called "sacred water".
Journalists were also attacked with eggs and water on them and on their cameras. Protesters targetted anyone going out of the hotel.
The Taxi has now left and protesters are waiting for the next groups.
Speeches continues inside the hotel quietly, as planned. An understandable tension can be perceived among the participants.
It is not yet clear how gays, lesbians and their friends will evacuate the buidling.
As I end this report a bus of 40 policemen just arrived, 2 hours after the first protests and despite having been requested several days ago by the organizers.
Today, Latvia does not show the face of a modern and democratic country. Instead, Riga is showing the face of homophobic facism, threatening its citizen and their guests.
GayRussia.Ru, from Riga
