Russian urbanist Arkadiy Gershman reported that his lecture in Riga was canceled on the day of the event. According to him, the venue refused to host the event, citing a ban from the authorities.
“The day before yesterday, my lecture in Riga was canceled: around noon, the venue wrote that they would not be able to let us in — the authorities banned urbanists from entering,” he wrote.
Gershman noted that he had received electronic permission to enter in advance and did not expect any problems. “The topics of the lecture — trams and bike lanes — do not seem to pose a threat to national security,” he added.
At the same time, according to him, no official notifications or documents were received, although the organizers had contact information. As a result, the event was urgently moved online.
“The most unpleasant thing is the feeling that you suddenly find yourself in a situation where rules and laws no longer work,” he noted, adding that he also experienced a sense of everyday anxiety.
After that, Gershman left Latvia and is currently in Helsinki. In other European countries, according to him, lectures were held without problems.
The organizers are considering the possibility of holding a meeting in Vilnius in the fall and offering discounts for listeners from Riga.
Recall that on February 24, Russian historian and North Korea specialist Andrei Lankov was detained in Riga during a lecture. He was taken to a hotel, allowed to pack his belongings, and expelled to Estonia.
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