Grain Transit Protest Organisers Consider Blocking Railway Tracks in Latvia
Gundars Kalve, organiser of the "No Blood Grain" protest, does not rule out blocking railways if Latvia does not halt Russian grain transit. Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs promises a bill but says the solution must be reached with the EU.
Organisers of the "No Blood Grain!" protest, held in Jēkabpils on Saturday, do not rule out blocking railway tracks if Latvia fails to stop the transit of Russian grain. This was said by the initiator of the protest, farmer and public activist Gundars Kalve. The rally aimed to achieve a ban on the transit through Latvia of grain produced in Russia and in occupied Ukrainian territories.
Organisers' plans
Kalve considers the event 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 next step would most likely not be another protest but blocking the tracks to prevent grain from moving across Latvian territory.
Kalve also criticised the address that Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs gave to the protesters, saying it was aggressive in tone and contained no clear promises. He also disliked that the premier held his young son on his lap on stage during the speech, which in his view looked like a shield against the protesters.
Government position
On Saturday Kulbergs promised to submit to the Saeima, Latvia's parliament, a bill that would let Latvia halt Russian grain transit by barring new contracts. Coordination between ministries is planned for next week. The premier admitted that a quick solution had not been achieved. In his view, a ban at the Latvian level alone is not a solution, as transit restrictions fall within European Union competence. He also said a ban would bring lawsuits and costs, and stressed that the Baltic states have already demanded at EU level that the transit be stopped.
Transit volumes
Data from the State Revenue Service show that in the first ten months of this year 1.115 million tonnes of grain crops were transported from Russia through Latvia, compared with 357,645 tonnes a year earlier, a 3.1-fold increase. From Belarus, 185,756 tonnes were carried this year, against 60.8 tonnes last year.
