Barricades (8/100)

Last week was the anniversary of the 1991 Riga Barricades, when Soviet forces tried to suppress Latvian efforts to assert its independence. Latvians had set up makeshift barricades to defend public institutions of the independent Latvian government, manned by thousands of Latvian citizens. On January 20th, Soviet forces tried to take the Interior Ministry, resulting in five casualties in the Canal Park. The spot of each of those deaths is now marked with a stone memorial, and an honor guard stands by as various Latvian officials and foreign Ambassadors lay flowers at the Freedom Monument and at each of the memorial sites each year on the 20th. If you're interested, you can read all about it and even see a few photos at www.barikades.lv, although the English translation is a little rough.