"We were all united at that time … 'in the January 1991 barricade.

On Saturday, 16 January, the cold and sarcastic morning, a small crowd of Rēzekne Municipality of Kaunatas, Stružānu and Lendžu parish went to the baricade memorial “freedom” in Kippal Halle Riga. The men remember that the same cold, though not so snowy, was also January 1991, but their regiment was much more subtle. In order to protect the newly recovered, fragile Latvian freedom blade, from the Rēzekne district, as well as from all Latvia, several buses with barricades were taken to the capital every day. Ten days and nights in Zaķusala, a television tower, an idea in a square, Bastejkaln, burned fire, access to strategically important objects was not only reinforced concrete blocks and heavy agricultural machinery and buses, but also non-armed people's chains.
In his hand, he had to stand in several circles to form a barrier. It was given a team not to submit to provocations, “– remembering the shameful Anton Savickis. He was still studying at the Latvian Agricultural Academy. Even though it was the hottest time of the session, every day five buses with LLA students went to Riga to barricades.“ We went through the night, in the barricades. ”Sleep didn't come, like, youth. '
Anton's counselors, Arthur White, Aivars Broliis, Juris Misan, Roberts Gribusts, Dainis Chudars, Andris Dubovskis, are only a small part of the men of Kaunatas parish who took several hundred kilometres of road to the capital in January 1991 to protect Riga. “Two buses were driving from Kaunatas, one arrived, the other left.” We were in barricades four times. There was also a district of colhosis and sovhosis who did not give the buses, let them go, threatened with repression, ”– Aivars Broliesh recalls.
In the barricades of january 1991, the people of Latvia showed that they were prepared to defend their national independence. Anton Savickis said, “We were ready to attack both the top and the assassination.” All activities were coherent and organized, there was no chaos. We were all united. If anyone asked us, you believe in Godman, there was a loud answer -- yes! You believe in Gorbunov? Yes! We really believed in our government. The Russians were on the barricades, and they were Russian, not only Latvians, for independence! She didn't look at what nationalities you were. 'The people had come to know what they wanted. Heavy forest machinery, trailers with blocks loaded.' The barricades were powerful, 'says Aivars Brooch.
“The barricades were also our buses, but there was one mosquito and one Zaporozecz.” The old buzzer had a color-inflated sign-a tank. “The people had no sense of humor even then,” Anton laughs.
Popular musicians also participated in the barricades through concerts. Anton Savickim remembered a bright episode.
“I remember walking into a television tower at night, i see, there's a piano in the hall.” They knew i was playing, urging me to sit with the piano. I sat down, played, those who lay on the floor woke up and began to applaud me. Then i see Olga Rajecka coming, Harry Basha, there was a concert for them. I'm already startled, but Harry tells me, nothing, play. The poet, Mara, read a poem dedicated to the bloody events in Lithuania. The applause began, but the poet showed that it didn't need to be applauded. '
By the night of 20 January, the bloody events were also in Riga, Anton, who had the first blood group to hear the radio call, was driving the blood to shoot the victims. The shameful Dainis Chudaram had been a fracture point at the Ministry of Interior. “I was active in sport at that time, as all athletes, i was a skeptic, at the edge.” On the evening of 20 January, i skied the trail, was such a bloody red sunset on the edge of Riga. I came home, listened to radio, so really, Ricky's blood. Then i went and applied for a trip to the barricades organized by the classmates Arthur White, then he was the Chairman of the Trade Committee. '
Aivars Laganovskis, on the other hand, was an epicentre of events in the night from 20 to 21 January. “I worked at the Sherjan peat factory.” There was no misunderstanding of the factory's management, did not want to give the bus. The trip was organised by Voldemar Silagails, traveling with personal machines, two times, one night at a television tower, another from 20 to 21 January at the Ministry of Interior, where there was a shooting. It wasn't new for me, it was 23, i had just gone into the Soviet army, the intelligence. Why did i go to barricades? “I'm not going to go, i'm a Latvian, my older Latvians, my homeland here,” says Aivars.
Aivars Laganovskis moved with his family, his wife and three younger children, to the barricades memorial event. With Ligita's wedding celebrated in the same 1991 Peterday, five children, two older daughters are already in their lives, son Arthur (20 years), studying a carpenter and sleeping masters, now looking for work, Linda (14) is in primary school, Ligita is only six years old. The Sherjan peat factory has long been removed, Aivars works in the woods. “Jobs with hard work.” I'm 47 years old, i'm too old for many jobs. I'm not a politician, but i feel that not all of these 25 years have gone wrong in the country. It was necessary to think more about how the people would have a job. Maybe he didn't need sovhozus, the colhoses were going to be eliminated so quickly. “The benefits are, but not the benefits alone in your lap.”
Many of the current Latvian advocates have already left the world. The allocation of barricades' status was interrupted five years ago, exact lists have not been maintained, they were destroyed during the August 1991 beach to avoid repression. Dainis Chudars, who is a historian, has completed the Latvian State University, accepts that the tragic events of 1940 could also be repeated.
Did the 1991 barricades play a role? Dainis Chudars believes that it is certain that, however, it was a real action to demonstrate its attitudes towards the independence of the country. “The most united unity is in memory.” I could, however, be able to assume that we were unarmed. With bare hands against the overhead, if it had come, it would have been. The barricades, the island bridge, the Daugava, the wind, the cold and we are without weapons, only with a long force, maybe some piece of fitting, stone. It was a phenomenon!
It seemed strange to the rural men that, in the time of the barricades, life in the capital was partly normal. “It was like a parallel world, in free moments we walked across the Daugava to Old Riga, we were dressed in fur, but there people are sitting in cafes, resting, joying, driving in jeans.” “Now in Ukraine, Maidan was the same,” says Dainis.
In the opening event “Freedom of the Boulevard” in Ķīpsali Halle (director of the director Jurelis and Ugis Brikmanis), the participants of the barricades were able to watch the video memories of the time, poetry, which was spoken by the students of the new dramatic theatre of Daugavpils Theatre (the course manager j. Jonelis), watching the movies from January 1991 for the main locations, including fragments from Zigurda Vidina film “Father Barricade”, which will be given to all Latvian secondary schools and professional technical schools. An emotional excitement was a concert involving the contemporary People's music association, the new Jāņu orchestra, the musical association Raxta Raxti, the ethnostic group ElektroFolk, the mixed choir of the Latvian Academy of Culture Sōla, the Riga Technical University student blower orchestra SpO, the new and talented singer Alexander Špicberg. Members of the National Armed Forces Raimonds Graube, Minister of Culture Dace Melbarde and Others spoke to the participants. The congratulations of the President and the President of the Saeima were also read.
“You're the heroes, because you didn't come back then, although you couldn't know how it was going to end,” – Andris Jaunsleinis, Chairman of the Board of the European Union of Latvia, emphasized in his speech.
“I'm not afraid, but i'll say honestly, there was a feeling that something might happen at every moment, but it was not only in Riga.” After all, what the difference is, if you come back in the house, go away, better die with honor than somewhere in the woods. “There was also a local man who was afraid of driving, said he'd better not be,” says Anton Savickis.
“What has changed over these 25 years?” Lots of things! Now there is no belief. If politicians can hunt pensioners, they are afraid to go to the People's speech, who you are the leader! The electoral system, the irresponsibility of officials, corruption, the demographic crisis, the people see all this and understand that, therefore, there is a sceptical look at the events of the barricades, says what to do now, maybe once again. Latvians are already patient people. '
For many of the participants in the barricades memorial event, who had gathered in Kippal Halle from around Latvia, the present five-year-old generation, the former Chairman of the Latvian People's Front, 12, fell deep into the heart. The words said by Romualda Rajuk, Member of the Saeima: “Currently, it is only because you were there in 1991 where you were!” I have the pride and honour that i was with you. '
Anna Rancāne
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