http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8185159.stm

The mayor of the Latvian capital of Riga says British stag parties will no longer be welcomed with open arms.
...
Mr Usakovs said some British visitors were guilty of misbehaving: "Let's not be politically correct - unfortunately, this is their speciality."
...
The biggest complaint is about tourists who urinate on central Riga's Freedom Monument, which honours soldiers killed while fighting for independence between 1918-20, Mr Usakovs said.

Many visitors have been arrested and fined for relieving themselves on the 138ft-high monument, or climbing on it naked to pose for pictures.
...
Last year the country's then interior minister, Mareks Seglins, complained about "English pigs" and said they were a "dirty, hoggish people"
...
Earlier this year South Wales Police sent two officers to Riga to advise on how to deal with hen and stag parties from Britain.

The biggest complaint is about tourists who urinate on central Riga's Freedom Monument, which honours soldiers killed while fighting for independence between 1918-20

But I bet they love you guys...

"English pigs", a "dirty, hoggish people"
nice to see the scots welsh and irish have been behaving themselves, acting with decorum and efficiently lying about where they come from

Originally Posted by KGB_resident

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8185159.stm

The mayor of the Latvian capital of Riga says British stag parties will no longer be welcomed with open arms.
...
Mr Usakovs said some British visitors were guilty of misbehaving: "Let's not be politically correct - unfortunately, this is their speciality."
...
The biggest complaint is about tourists who urinate on central Riga's Freedom Monument, which honours soldiers killed while fighting for independence between 1918-20, Mr Usakovs said.

Many visitors have been arrested and fined for relieving themselves on the 138ft-high monument, or climbing on it naked to pose for pictures.
...
Last year the country's then interior minister, Mareks Seglins, complained about "English pigs" and said they were a "dirty, hoggish people"
...
Earlier this year South Wales Police sent two officers to Riga to advise on how to deal with hen and stag parties from Britain.

He can go and feck himself.

Nobody cares - the hen and stag parties will still go there until they price themselves out of the market e.g. Prague, Dublin etc and then it'll be off to somewhere else - Belgrade maybe or Kiev. Smashing tottie in both!

Edited to add - the attendees of these musical soirees couldn't find Latvia on a map and couldn't really give a sh1te about the Latvians. They are on the p1ss!

Originally Posted by Rumpelstiltskin

The biggest complaint is about tourists who urinate on central Riga's Freedom Monument, which honours soldiers killed while fighting for independence between 1918-20

But I bet they love you guys...

Btw, the mayor of Riga (newly elected) is Nil Ushakov (BBC distorted his surname). He is ethnically Russian.

http://www.ushakov.lv/ru/

That's a bit harsh. Latvians are nice people, and they've got a nice bit of real estate, which I'm sure the Russians will testify to as they oppressed and occupied the place for 50 years.

Was there for a stag weekend recently, had a brilliant time. They do fcuking hate us though, although it seems to be more the Brits abroad stereotype than anything else.

On the morning we left the hotel staff apologised to us for being rude. They stated that they were under the impression all British tourists were loud obnoxious troublemakers and that they were sorry for being rude to us during our stay. I thought they were fine to be honest, certainly no worse than any other hotel I've stayed in.

The Finnish group we bumped into several times were acting bigger cnuts than we ever could have.

Edited to add - the police presence in old Riga is huge, there were no bouncers in any of the pubs/clubs we were in, just cops on every street corner who stuck their heads in from time to time.

Originally Posted by KGB_resident

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8185159.stm

The mayor of the Latvian capital of Riga says British stag parties will no longer be welcomed with open arms.
...
Mr Usakovs said some British visitors were guilty of misbehaving: "Let's not be politically correct - unfortunately, this is their speciality."
...
The biggest complaint is about tourists who urinate on central Riga's Freedom Monument, which honours soldiers killed while fighting for independence between 1918-20, Mr Usakovs said.

Many visitors have been arrested and fined for relieving themselves on the 138ft-high monument, or climbing on it naked to pose for pictures.
...
Last year the country's then interior minister, Mareks Seglins, complained about "English pigs" and said they were a "dirty, hoggish people"
...
Earlier this year South Wales Police sent two officers to Riga to advise on how to deal with hen and stag parties from Britain.

I think if a bunch of drunken Latvians decided to pi$$ on the Centotaph, being called a pig would be the least of their problems - still would not qualify us as xenophobes though.
If its that big a problem why don't they park a police car in the square?

Originally Posted by Alsacien

If its that big a problem why don't they park a police car in the square?

Or a public urinal...

Sounds like the Latvians have discovered that some party destinations are for being obnoxious in and that they're currently flavour of the week. Double or triple the prices of everything and we'll be alright ;)


edited: to add (Wiki) Latvian war of independence 1918 1920. That is the first I've (as a UK civvy) ever heard of it. You'd have thought that they ( random drunks ) would work out what a memorial is and show some respect but as they can't work out what ours are for I suspect you're going to have your work cut out.