The encamped protest in front of the Cabinet of Ministers building had been ongoing since November. Photo by James Dahl/Baltic Reports

RIGA — After allowing the group to stay encamped for eight months Riga police without warning dispersed the now-famous tent protesters sometime during the wee hours of June 24.

Now not a sign nor tent remains of the encampment which sat outside the Cabinet of Ministers building through one of the most severe winters on record in Latvia only to be booted before the height of tourism season in August.

Police are not saying why they decided to forcibly move in now, but Riga Deputy Mayor Ainārs Šlesers told the Diena newspaper that the city council would request more information about the decision from the police department on Monday.

The city had attempted to disperse the protesters without direct police action since January but had made little progress.

The protest was started on Nov. 30, 2009 by Gints Gaikens, an unemployed lawyer from Valmiera who wanted to demand immediate action on joblessness and improved social benefits from the government. Eventually dozens of other protesters pitched tents and joined him. In terms of raising awareness, the protest was indeed successful as reports on the tent camp have a been regularly featured in the Latvian media for months.

— Baltic Reports reporter James Dahl contributed to this article.

This article is free to view. To read Baltic Reports’ subscription-only articles, click here.