Other events in Baltic States
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Tuesday, 23.04.2024, 20:34
French gendarmes stop Latvian climbers from raising flag on Mont Blanc
The Alpine gendarmerie seized the 10m pole and national flag that the
Latvians were carrying up the mountain to celebrate the centenary of the Baltic
state gaining independence. The deadline for climbing Europe’s highest mountain
is August 16, which means that the expedition’s plan to set a new Guinness
record in honor of Latvia’s centenary is likely to fail.
Jean-Marc
Peillex, mayor of the village of Saint Gervais, had asked the police to block
the expedition, calling it “an undertaking by reckless people”.
Participants of the expedition said on Facebook that they did not intend
to give up and still hoped for a diplomatic solution that would let them
achieve their goal. “We, participants of Mont Blanc 2018, are proud of what we
have achieved, and the events on the recent days only show that our goal is
something out of the ordinary. We hope to find support on the international
level so that we can go ahead with this unique project,” the climbers said on
Facebook.
The incident has happened at a time when Chamonix council is trying to
stem the assault by often ill-prepared climbers on the 4,810m peak.