§ Mr. HowardTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the recent disturbances in Latvia between native Latvians and the ethnic Russian population. [34577]
§ Mr. Doug HendersonOn 3 March a crowd, mainly from the Russian-speaking community, and mostly pensioners, gathered outside Riga town hall to protest about increased heating charges. As numbers grew, police moved in to force the crowd back on to the pavement. An initial investigation by the Latvian authorities into claims that the police used unnecessary force has concluded that no police officers were guilty of misconduct. There have been no reports of serious injuries. We are encouraging both the Russian and the Latvian governments to ensure that their reactions to the incident are proportionate to the events themselves.