UK News
Caught on camera: Briton urinating by Latvia's holiest monument
Mar 19, 2007, 12:15 GMT
Riga - A British tourist has been charged with hooliganism after urinating near Latvia's most revered monument while his friends photographed his performance, officials confirmed Monday.
The incident comes only days after the British Embassy in Riga launched a public-awareness campaign aimed at boosting 'responsible tourism' - including respect for local sensibilities.
The Briton, identified only as John, was detained early on Friday evening by the Freedom Monument in Riga - the memorial to all those who have sacrificed their lives in the cause of Latvian freedom, police spokeswoman Inese Timane told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.
Tests showed that John was severely drunk, with over five times the blood-alcohol level permitted to drive a car.
Local media reported that while John was answering the call of nature, his friends were busy photographing his activities - a fact which is likely to make prosecutors' job considerably easier.
Last November a British tourist was arrested for urinating directly on the Freedom Monument. He was prosecuted for a criminal offence, banned from leaving the country until the case was heard, and fined over 800 lats (1,512 dollars).
Since Latvia joined the EU in 2004, the number of Western tourists visiting the country has soared. However, with the boom has come a growing concern over rising numbers of alcohol-related offences perpetrated by foreigners.
Last Thursday the British Embassy in Riga launched a campaign aimed at boosting responsible behaviour among visitors to Latvia. One of the campaign's key pieces of advice was, 'Do not urinate in public. Use a toilet instead.'
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-AgenturCOMMENT
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Older Talkback
page: 1
whoa, brits keep up to their amplua :D
What a stupid brit, people should have more respect, I even find 800 Ls a too small ammount for such behaviour, something around 1000Ls and 40 hours of toilet cleaning would do better I think :)
No Yank comments from the brits on this one hey
It sounds to me my English cousins were drinking a little too much of that good Vodka and their inhibitions were rolled back too far, but I doubt if this was done in malice but only in jest and comarade. However discretion being the better part of valor, they should have used the empty Vodka bottle or looked for the nearest man-hole cover in the street. They were just a bunch of good old boys making a slight error in judgment encouraged on by the euphoria of the moment. RON ELLIS / Portland, Oregon U.S.A.
How would you feel like if tons of drunken alien vandals were permanently arriving at your city just to drink, destroy, pissing in public national symbols/monuments, and starting fights?
I would sincerely kill them all. No matter what their ambassor, family, or pro-war president would have to say.
Riga must stay clean.
If Brits want to be respected, they need to show respect to others, especially in a foreign country. The breakdown of society is generally reflected abroad.
Still, it is difficult to expect much from anyone who is sloshed out of his mind.
...just don't go to Riga!
brits out, the only language they understand is a baton to the head, they dont misbehave in ireland like they do in the east cos we know how to deal with them, the estonians,latvians etc. should look at their last visit to landsdowne road where they tried to act up and went home with bloody noses,
I can only assume that the idiots responsible took no time to read even one page in the guide books relating to Latvian history. If they had, and understood the significance of this monument, then they would realise how offensive this is to the nice people who look after them in their hotels,make their breakfast, serve them drinks all night, and dance for them in the bars set up to cater for their stag night antics. So disrespectful, jail them all.
page: 1
Riga RoosterMar 19th, 2007 - 19:27:00
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It seems that Urinating on Riga's Freedom Monument IS now a scheduled
activity for British Stag Parties. Complete with poising for photos.
How disgusting ! - Seems like the 'boys' haven't learned any of the
refined behavior the British Ambassador has been trying to serve up.
Perhaps the good Ambassador is wasting his time and they should
provide FREE 'pee bottles' to the 'boys' on arrival at the Riga
airport.
According to published history, British has a very long history of
peeing in public.. Quote from 'Childhood, Manners & Bodily Functions
in Elizabethan London'
'Apparently public pissing (yes, this is the actual word the
Elizabethans used) was widespread (one assumes amongst men), to such
an extent that when the Mercers' livery company let one of their
properties, they included a clause that the tenant must prevent
'naughty persons annoying our cellar by way of pissing in at the
windows'.
So does the Ambassador think that printing of beer glass coasters and
a few scoldings will stop an age old social problem?
May I suggest they they get a lot more creative in their prevention
techniques and punishment options.
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