The video from the food couriers' chat on WhatsApp, showing a foreigner clashing with randomly encountered children on the street in Riga, allegedly insulted him, has caused a wide public resonance.
A foreigner is persistently trying to film boys, and claims in the published correspondence suggest an attempt to beat them. The police have been notified of the incident, and the Child Rights Protection Center sees possible violations concerning the children, reports TV3 News.
A group chat has been created in the WhatsApp messenger, uniting couriers from the food delivery services "Wolt" and "Bolt." There are nearly 500 participants in it, and communication is mainly conducted in English, as the couriers are from different countries, predominantly from India and Pakistan.
The main goal is to discuss how to earn more while delivering food, during which hours there are the most orders, and similar topics. However, the correspondence published online indicates that some chat participants are quite aggressive towards local residents.
One participant indicated that the children insulted him on the street, so he decided to film them and publish the recording. One of the boys indeed repeats a highly offensive word directed at black people, while another is surprised as to why he is being filmed.
The public correspondence also includes information that a specific courier, who filmed the boys, attempted to beat them.
A fragment of the WhatsApp correspondence:
– For no reason, they called me a word starting with "n." Stupid white kid.
– True. They are stupid.
– When I tried to hit them, they got scared and fell silent.
Screenshots and screen recordings have been published on the social network X, and users express outrage at what they have seen. Some point out that children should not curse and provoked the conflict themselves, while others emphasize that they are still children, and actions against them — filming and possible threats — are unacceptable. The situation has come to the attention of the State Police.
"On March 30, the State Police received a report regarding the filming of children and the posting of the video online. The report is currently under review," confirmed police representative Gita Gžibovska.
At the Child Rights Protection Center, after reviewing the video, they concluded that the police should assess the statements of the private individual regarding the children in the context of emotional violence — there may have been an infringement of the child's dignity or psychological impact, including through filming and insults.
"Preliminarily, one can see a violation of children's rights to respect, honor, and safety. The police need to do their job. It is unacceptable for any individual to film and comment on such situations in public space," noted the representative of the Child Rights Protection Center Ivita Dambieniece.
The Child Rights Protection Center emphasizes that if a person felt insulted by a child's words, they should have contacted the police instead of filming and publishing a video.
"It is unacceptable for them to try to re-educate children in this way. Children use social networks; classmates or neighbors may see this and recognize them. We will not form such a public discourse. If a person has problems, they should contact law enforcement themselves," stated the center's representative.
The State Data Inspectorate reported that the review of such situations is not within its competence, as they relate to actions outside the framework of data protection regulations and concern possible insults to personal honor and dignity, constituting a private dispute.
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