An 18-year-old young man caused a commotion in the yard of the Riga State 3rd Gymnasium — loudly shouting, insulting students, and ignoring demands to leave the premises. The situation quickly escalated: the young man began to behave increasingly provocatively and aggressively.
The gymnasium director Andris Priekulis told reporters that he noticed a stranger on the school grounds showing clear signs of aggression. According to him, the young man persistently tried to make physical contact with the students and was likely under the influence of substances.
When the director demanded that he leave the premises, he responded with rudeness and an attempt at physical contact.
"In such a situation, my main concern was the safety of the students. Therefore, it was necessary to limit the actions of this person until the police arrived. With the help of staff and the students themselves, we managed to restrain him," the director noted.
Fortunately, he did not sustain serious injuries during the incident.
However, what happened, according to Priekulis, is a troubling signal. He emphasizes that such incidents near educational institutions are unacceptable and require increased monitoring.
The director also believes that police patrols should appear near schools more often, especially in the morning hours when children are arriving for classes.
"The safety of the school is not a matter of compromise. We are already working with the responsible authorities to ensure that such situations do not occur again," he emphasized.
The incident in the heart of Old Riga raised questions: how protected are students and who should be responsible for safety around educational institutions?
