Questions arise amongst Daugavpils city residents concerning the city flags

Last weekend, the city of Daugavpils celebrated its birthday in a unique way, with a mass display of city flags. The event, which saw most of the flags in the city during the celebrations being those of Daugavpils, has sparked a debate among residents about the long-term display of the city flag instead of the Latvian national flag.

The Daugavpils local government spent approximately €9,000 (excluding VAT) from the city budget to purchase flags for the celebration. An additional 1,500 flags were ordered and allocated €3,690 (excluding VAT) by the Unity House due to high demand. The flags were placed at municipal institutions, capital company buildings, and multi-storey buildings managed by the Housing and Communal Services Company.

Residents were invited to display Daugavpils city flags on their buildings for the first time. While some residents expressed positive opinions about the city flags, others remained neutral. One resident stated that they would only support the city flags for a limited time. Another resident expressed concern about the display of city flags on a normal working day.

Anželika Litvinoviča, a researcher from Daugavpils, finds the flag campaign strange and questions the purpose of it. Lelde Metla-Rozentāle, a lecturer at Riga Stradiņš University and political scientist, shares similar concerns, suggesting that local patriotism is positive if it does not create opposition between the city and the state. She also expresses concern that the Daugavpils flags might be displayed in a way that cultivates distrust of the state as a whole.

Dmitrijs Oļehnovičs, a political observer in Daugavpils, believes that the Latvian flag should have been displayed alongside the Daugavpils flag. Only a small space at the entrance to the town hall was available for the Latvian and European flags. The tourist information centre distributed 3,000 free flags to be placed on cars.

The residents of Daugavpils have mixed opinions about the long-term display of the city flag instead of the Latvian national flag. Some support local identity, while others emphasize national unity. Lelde Metla-Rozentāle suggests that local patriotism is positive if it does not create opposition between the city and the state.

All the flagpoles at the town hall were reserved for this event. The event saw all flags in the city during the celebrations being those of Daugavpils, marking a significant show of local pride. Despite the mixed opinions, the mass display of city flags during the birthday celebrations has certainly sparked a conversation about the balance between local identity and national unity in Daugavpils.