NA tabled the motion in response to what it said was the mis-handling of the visit of a large group of Dutch football fans.
While in town for a match against Rīga club RFS on Thursday, January 23, a group of Ajax fans were observed setting off fireworks and littering in the area around the Freedom Monument, an important national landmark. A journalist from Latvian Television reported that he was attacked by Dutch fans, though he was not seriously injured.
The police said no serious disorder was recorded and there are also no reports of damage to the monument. At the same time, officials decided that in the future, access to the Freedom Monument should be denied during such events.
In the opinion of the NA deputies, Kozlovskis “failed to conduct an appropriate, timely and responsible risk assessment and communication with institutions subordinate to the Ministry of the Interior in order to prevent an illegal situation that threatened national security and to protect the dignity of a national symbol.”
The majority of the Saeima rejected the Interior Minister’s resignation request. 37 deputies voted in favor of Kozlovskis’ dismissal, while 50 were against.
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