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Stag night clampdown
A British tourist has been sent to jail in Riga for urinating on one of the city's most revered monuments. The Latvian Interior Minister sees this as making an example of one of the many culprits that have been caught in the act at the Freedom Monument. He described them as "those English pigs."
The 42-metre high statue is an important symbol in Latvia and is a focal point for public gatherings. Unfortunately, many of those visiting the city on a stag night or weekend also congregate there, with unfortunate results given the quantity of beer they might have been consumed.
Incredibly, the 34-year old man from London pleaded not guilty, saying his trousers accidentally fell down in a "moment of horseplay." The court was not impressed and sentenced him to five days in custody. The jail sentence was described as lenient by Riga's mayor, Janis Birks, and the National police chief, Aldis Lieljuksis has suggested that a 15-day custodial sentence would be appropriate.
This may be a clear sign that the backlash against noisy, anti-social revellers in Riga is underway.
This article was written for TravelSavvy Europe by Bob Cartwright. For more information see: Riga - Stag parties. If you know of an interesting European travel related news story, please get in contact.
