Islamic state flag raised on Riga's Vanšu Bridge for second time in two weeks

A Saudi Arabian national flag was found hoisted on the cables of the Vanšu Bridge in Riga on the morning of 28 October 2026. Law enforcement removed it promptly. It is the second such incident in a short time: two weeks earlier, police took down the flag of the former Islamic Republic of Afghanistan from the bridge's stays.

Eyewitnesses told the editorial office that a major traffic jam formed while the flag was being taken down. Ieva Lukaža-Apalupa, chief communications specialist of the Riga Municipal Police (RPP), confirmed to the news agency LETA that the flag had been removed.

Administrative proceedings

The municipal police have started administrative violation proceedings for disturbing public order. For an individual the penalty may be a warning or a fine of up to 500 euros, and for a legal entity a fine of up to 5,000 euros. The police have opened proceedings over both incidents.

Reactions

Riga Deputy Mayor Edvards Ratnieks considers the second flag of an Islamic country on the bridge in such a short period to be a provocation. He called on the State Security Service and other responsible institutions to investigate the cases with the utmost care, saying it may be a test of Latvia's response capacity and could be the start of broader provocations against the country and its security.

Ratnieks said he has instructed the municipal police to pay increased attention to the bridge so that such incidents do not recur. He stressed that those responsible must be identified and given the harshest possible penalty, while urging the public not to give the incidents heightened attention, since stirring up public agitation is the aim of such provocations.

Residents of Riga have also voiced concern. One of them asked on the social network X whether the State Police are troubled by such incidents.