FORMS OF PROTEST IN LATVIA DURING THE PANDEMIC VERSUS THE ACTIVITY OF THE POLICE

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic, which broke out on an unprecedented scale in 2020, forced the public authorities to impose a series of restrictions and limitations on constitutional rights and freedoms, which provoked strong reactions, particularly in the democratic world, and encouraged social unrest. The speed of the measures, their scope and the degree of negligence, which undoubtedly affected the lives of millions of people, strengthened social resistance. The research problem in this paper concerns the influence of the pandemic-related restrictions introduced in Latvia on the mobilisation and demobilisation of demonstrators and the evaluation of the methods used by the Latvian police in the conditions of civil disorder caused by these restrictions. The aim of this paper is to examine the violent acts committed by the demonstrators and the forms of protest they used, as well as to analyse the actions of the officers of the services responsible for securing the demonstrations. The author sought answers to two main research questions: What actions did demonstrators take during the pandemic in Latvia? How did the security services ensure the safety of the demonstrations and what methods did they use? The study used institutional and legal analysis as well as qualitative source analysis. It also used the method of content analysis, mainly of messages and announcements related to the behaviour of protesters and law enforcement agencies during the period in question.