Opponents of Russian grain transit do not rule out blocking Latvian railway

Organisers of the "No to Blood Grain!" protest in Latvia do not rule out blocking railway tracks if the country does not stop the transit of Russian grain. Protest initiator, farmer and public activist Gundars Kalve told the news agency LETA. The rally, held on Saturday in Jēkabpils, aimed to make Latvia ban the rail transit of grain obtained in Russia and in occupied Ukrainian territories.

Organisers' plans

Kalve considers the rally well organised, although more participants had been expected. Afterwards he received many calls of support from residents. The organisers will meet on the evening of Tuesday, 10 November, to decide on further action. According to Kalve, if transit is not stopped, the issue would most likely no longer be a repeat protest but the blocking of the tracks.

The prime minister's speech

Kalve criticised the address that Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs (of the United List) gave to protesters, saying it was delivered in an aggressive tone and nothing was clearly promised. He also disliked that the premier's young son sat on his lap on stage during the speech, which Kalve said looked like a shield from the protesters.

Kulbergs promised to submit a bill to the Saeima, Latvia's parliament, that would let the country halt transit by barring new contracts. Coordination between ministries is planned for next week. The premier admitted that a quick solution had not been achieved and said a ban at the Latvian level alone is not the answer, since transit restrictions fall within the competence of the European Union. He also warned of possible litigation and costs if Latvia banned transit unilaterally, and stressed that the Baltic states have already demanded at EU level that transit be stopped.

Transit volumes

Data from the State Revenue Service show that grain transit from Russia through Latvia rose 3.1 times in the first ten months of this year. A total of 1.115 million tonnes was shipped, compared with 357,645 tonnes a year earlier. From Belarus, 185,756 tonnes of grain were transported this year, against 60.8 tonnes last year.