Archive for June, 2007

Of fears, freedoms, and fences

The scariest thing I saw on Sunday wasn’t the balaclava-clad riot police patrolling the perimeter of the park. And it wasn’t the neo-Nazi types screaming obscenities and launching the occasional firecracker at us either (they were desperate to intimidate).
Running over to the park fence about halfway through the march to photograph a group of congregating […]

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Video blog: The day of the Pride parade


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Riga Pride 2007 — a huge success

Riga Pride 2007 is over. A few hundred people have just marched through a park in central Riga to celebrate gay rights. The march included a Swedish minister, several MPs and MEPs from all over Europe, as well as a large delegation from Sweden and lots of Latvians. And 70 Amnesty activists, of course.
The march […]

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Final thoughts before the march

Our first full day in Riga felt… relaxed… the sun was shining, people were calmly walking the streets and, after breakfast, we went for a wander, trying to get a proper grasp of the place, taking in the art nouveau architecture and the local seafood. On any other day, I might have suggested a wine […]

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Welcome to the “Land of Sexual Perversion”

After a dozen anonymous black bags emerged on the baggage carousel at Riga Airport last night (picked up by mostly sleepy or weary-looking Latvians), a stack of placards appeared with slogans written in bold pink font, done up by Amnesty International. My colleague Andrea picked it up and gave it to me.
From that point on […]

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