RIGA, May 7 (LETA) - On May 9 and in the days before and after May 9, the State and Municipal Police will be on high alert in order to prevent any attempts to glorify the aggressor state Russia, Riga Vice-Mayor Edvard Ratnieks (National Alliance) told LETA.

The police will patrol areas where people usually gather to ensure that flags and symbols of the aggressor state are not displayed, that people do not sing songs praising the Russian army, and that no unlawful activities take place.

According to Girts Lapins (National Alliance), head of Riga City Council's Security and Corruption Prevention Committee, the most important thing at the moment is to ensure presence of the police in areas where people gather. If people see that the police are present and monitoring the situation, there will be fewer provocations and violations, he said.

Ratnieks today met with the heads of Riga Municipal Police and the State Police to discuss keeping the peace in the capital on May 9.

During the meeting, the security situation in Riga, actions of the authorities, and various possible scenarios were discussed.

In Latvia, as in many other countries elsewhere in the world, the official day for the commemoration of the end of World War II is May 8, while May 9 is Europe Day.

On May 9, under the influence of the propaganda policy of the Russian ruling regime, for many years a part of the Latvian public celebrated the victory in the Second World War, one of the cornerstones of the Putin regime's ideology.

In 2023, the Saeima passed a law banning public and festive events, meetings, processions and pickets on May 9 that are aimed at disparaging and undermining Latvia's values as a democratic and nation state, including dividing society, glorifying war, military aggression, totalitarianism or violence, as well as the false representation of historical events.