Chairman of Latvian Council of Jewish Communities Arkady Suharenko:

The Latvian Jewish Community is shocked and dismayed at the desecration of the Riga Jewish cemetery on December 8, and the desecration of the monument to Janis Lipke and other saviours on December 13. These aggressive manifestations of anti-Semitism seem to indicate that this is not an isolated action by some miscreants but rather a system, a pattern that is of concern to us.

We ask the law enforcement agencies to fully commit to finding the perpetrators of these acts and bring them to justice. We are asking the police to be vigilant so that we may feel safe and so that similar situations do not happen again.

In turn, the understanding and rapid reaction of the government and the Riga City Council, as well as support of the world Jewry for Latvian Jews reassures us that we will not stand alone against this problem.

14.12.2010