01:30Latvia: EU flag burned in protest against Euro-Zone entry
Latvia: EU flag burned in protest against Euro-Zone entry
Protesters in the Latvian capital of Riga on Thursday burned the flag of the European Union to protest the country joining the euro zone currency union. The protest comes a day following the European Parliament vote to back the entry of Latvia, endorsing committee recommendations that the Baltic country becomes the bloc's 18th member as of January 2014.
The demonstrators claim that the government is dragging Latvia into the euro against the will of the population and at the risk of the country's economy.
Andris Orols Chairman of the Board of Antiglobalisti explained, "Today we are protesting against introduction of the Euro to Latvia without peoples' consent. We think that the officials usurped their authority in Latvia. And they are introducing alien money without peoples' consent. It is for people to decide such an important issue."
While Latvia has been a member of the EU since 2004, bids to join the single currency have been rebuffed due to a lack of financial stability. The final decision will be made at a meeting of the European Union's finance ministers July 9.
01:30Latvia: EU flag burned in protest against Euro-Zone entry
Protesters in the Latvian capital of Riga on Thursday burned the flag of the European Union to protest the country joining the euro zone currency union. The protest comes a day following the European Parliament vote to back the entry of Latvia, endorsing committee recommendations that the Baltic country becomes the bloc's 18th member as of January 2014.
The demonstrators claim that the government is dragging Latvia into the euro against the will of the population and at the risk of the country's economy.
Andris Orols Chairman of the Board of Antiglobalisti explained, "Today we are protesting against introduction of the Euro to Latvia without peoples' consent. We think that the officials usurped their authority in Latvia. And they are introducing alien money without peoples' consent. It is for people to decide such an important issue."
While Latvia has been a member of the EU since 2004, bids to join the single currency have been rebuffed due to a lack of financial stability. The final decision will be made at a meeting of the European Union's finance ministers July 9.