Baltic Visitor

7 responses so far ↓

• 1 Joao Carvalho // May 29, 2007 at 3:33 pm

  It is about time to end this big non-sense!
  I am very happy for this fact which i hope to be an indicator that authorities realized that this case is now going too far. Very happy to know 3 of them are out and without charges, because obviously they were inocent. But still, 4 of them are locked up for almost 2 weeks and now, more left alone. I don’t believe that there was any intension whatsoever of ofending latvian people or it’s simbols. It could be exactly the opposite: Despite i don’t know the real facts at most i would believe that by having so good latvian friends in Riga and enjoying the city so much, they would have gone a little bit too far for trying to steal a flag to take home, under the efect of alcohol. It’s would be just this, nothing else!!! Please be aware that your perspective can be totally oposite of what their’s could be and that they surely would never expect this reaction from latvians once they were not aware of the recent events and the that people are getting fed up of missbehavioured tourists.

  Another very important remark: Tourism has 2 sides. It’s not only advantages. One can not just want the tourists and their money but must be prepared for their excesses regarding they are in holidays and good mood and can excess a litte while they’re having fun. So, tolerance and good sense are required.
  An example: in Algarve (south portugal) a lot of european tourists come for holidays every month. It is a fact now that many locals don’t like to rent their houses to tourists coming from UK. For exactly the same reasons that latvians have. But, we don’t put them in jail at the first incident that happens. Because despite all, the values of tolerance and freedom are quite respected arround here. And we realize that tourims brings a lot of money, and so we are prepared for the negative side of it and we don’t try to ban the bad tourists and just keep the good ones. Because that is a bad principle for a civilized society. So, why in Latvia should be diferent in treatment from anywhere else in the world where there are touristic spots!??! And specially, considering that Latvia is now in the european union. Why!? Is Latvia in the UE just for the economical advantages? What about the european values of diplomacy, tolerance and freedom???

  I really hope that latvians find a more human way of dealing with this situations starting from today, and let those 4 guys come back to their home hence this situation as already gone too far! EUROPE, TOLERANCE and FREEDOM!!!

• 2 María // May 30, 2007 at 10:25 pm

  Hola Joao:
  Lo siento, yo no hablo inglés, pero he leído tu comentario y quiero decirte que estoy de acuerdo contigo en el tema de la Unión Europea. Las cosas está yendo demasiado lejos, creo que esto no debería pasar en pleno siglo XXI, el concepto de “identidad” letón es muy diferente al que tenemos en España (o Portugal), LA IDENTIDAD, NO ES UNA BANDERA, ES MUCHO MÁS QUE ESO! Estoy segura de que los letones habrán luchado por su bandera reclamando LIBERTAD, y ahora es esa misma bandera la razón de que haya 4 personas privadas de Libertad en unas cárceles en las que dudo que se estén cumpliendo los derechos y garantías minimas de los presos (los que tenemos en España).
  Y al final todo esto se convierte en una cuestión diplomática, mientras ellos siguen lejos de sus casas.
  Esperemos que esto acabe YA!Ni mañana ni pasado, que no haya otro “posiblemente…” ni otro “quizás…”, esto tiene que terminar HOY.

  LIBERTAD!

• 3 Bor // May 31, 2007 at 10:28 am

  Hello!

  I’m very happy that at least three of them were finally released and I really hope that the other four can follow them soon. While it’s definitelly a stupid idea to mess with somebody elses flag (or your countries own for that matter), I cannot help but be shocked by the brutal treatment they have been and some of them still are recieving.

  What I believe we have here is some powerful people (the police and authorities) taking out their frustration on someone who won’t make too much trouble. I find it very meaningful that these notorious 7 are not football hooligans, drug or people smugglers or something similar. They are in fact good students or young employees who graduated from the best universitys in their countries. Furthermore they did not go to the baltics for the “lovely exchange rate” which will buy you ten beers for the price of one at home or to enjoy some cheap prostitutes. No, they went there to visit friends who live in those countries and to have fun.

  I do not support turists behaving like rabid animals when abroad, in fact I hate that kind of behaviour. But hitting down on these 7 young people will certainly not stop that kind of behaviour. In fact probably only the friends and families of these affected young people (and few other people, like the author of this blog) will know how their lives got ruined.

• 4 Bor // May 31, 2007 at 2:43 pm

  Another spanish guy was recently set free because of a technicality according to a spanish newspaper 20minutos (see link above).

  Apparently the prosecutor is asking for a maximum sentence for the remaining three guys which means they face up to 6 years in prison.

• 5 Joachim Neumann // May 31, 2007 at 7:01 pm

  I have today talked on the phone with one of the released guys. He told me his story:

  www.rigacase.com

  Joachim Neumann

• 6 Sandrine Dury // Jun 4, 2007 at 1:12 am

  I went to Madrid on Erasmus in 2003 and had the chance to meet Miguel. He’s a great guy, he obviously loves partying but he’s not a criminal. This situation has to end. How can this still be possible in Europe ? It’s unbelievable.
  Hopefully all of us all over the world can try to push as much as we can to influence the outcome to be positive for Miguel and his friends.
  Friendship and solidarity … let’s go !

• 7 Oskar Duvetorp // Jun 7, 2007 at 8:15 am

  By now there should be no doubt in anyones mind that these students, with all their international relations would be the last to want to offend any nation. They have not tampered with the official Latvian flag but merely detached some decorative flags of a lamppost to take with them as souvenirs. After the brutal arrest and the atrocious conditions in the prison where they have spent 19 days without being allowed to communicate directly with their families and the world outside, they have suffered enough!
  To get an idea of who these people are, watch the news report (in spanish) at:
  http://www.edirecto.tve.es/?go=e5911a8f3a240786c19429278dceea2c54011d4340331c100a811dd8cebcd5cc88c36af9aca51024f4c3eb169872eb62b7ed0a1b07f051016393ba49ef49a9f8ecf6e54ccc53aa67f5172338b79f11b41002ad3945474bfef57e3f72049d4ad9
  And please sign the petition at:
  http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/rigacase/
  Pass this link on to anyone you think would be as upset as we are!

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