Hail in Riga

On Monday 10th June Jiang Zemin was to attend a dinner at the presidential palace in the old part of Riga. Since he is aware of the fact that he is committing serious crimes against people in his homeland he naturally bears a great deal of fear. He had got the Latvian police to cordon off the public roads at quite a distance from where the cars swiftly conveyed his retinue between the function and the hotel where he had his secure stronghold, as if they were guilty, wanted, and on the run and therefore not wanting to be seen.

It was remarkable how the previously warm and sunny weather suddenly turned around during this period of time. That which formed in the sky resembled a funnel and the forces began to tumble. Clouds formed and it began to rain. Light rain became torrential rain. The skies, ”the funnel”, opened up and lightning crossed the sky in the direction of the hotel, which was situated very close by and which the president and his staff had occupied as if it were their own hotel. The discharge of lightning sounded virtually like the dropping of bombs over the square. Fear and cold go together. That which fell was so cold – there was ice coming from the sky. At the palace, the rain partially became hail. The Latvian police and security personnel could not avoid being drenched. One nearly felt sorry for them when they were forced to rush from the cover they had sought under trees and the roofs of the open-air cafés and restaurants. It was rather pathetic that people leaving their places of work and the restaurants at the square were not allowed to run straight through the cloudburst, but were instead chased by ever wetter police and made to branch off several metres towards the front of the buildings in order to continue. The given order was that the area was to be deserted, and in this oppressive exercise of power there is no flexibility.

A president that is a man of the people ought to feel that it is natural to meet people and be seen – not strike out at people’s way of life in a country where he is a visitor. When the dinner-party was over and the cars had promptly left the entrance, the rain subsided and, shortly afterwards, ceased completely.