Former member of the Saeima Znotiņas faces a new charge of inciting hatred in social networks

TVNET already wrote that at the beginning of this year, the prosecutor’s office charged Znotiņš with causing minor bodily harm in connection with the conflict in the stairwell.

The indictment shows that on the evening of July 30, 2023, the accused, being in the stairwell of a Riga apartment building, during a conflict, out of anger, deliberately, with the intention of causing bodily harm, grabbed the victim by the shoulders and punched him no less than three times with his fist and elbow head and whole body.

As a result, the victim suffered bodily injuries, which by their nature are classified as minor.

Currently, the case has been transferred to the Riga City Court in Pārdaugava.

Znotiņš previously wrote on social networks that on July 30, 2023, he insisted that Latvian should be spoken in Latvia, but Russian neighbors started strangling him in the stairwell. The former deputy expressed his indignation that the policemen who arrived claimed that he was guilty because he had provoked the Russians.

Later, a video appeared on Internet social networks, in which you can see and hear that Znotiņš was aggressive and cursed rudely in a conflict with neighbors, as well as bragging about his former position.

In the mentioned video, in which certain fragments may have been cut out, it can be seen and heard that Znotiņš tells his neighbor to listen to him, because he allegedly led this country for a long time. The former deputy also blames the neighbor for insufficient investment to help the people of Latvia.

The video also shows that Znotiņš threatened that “these watniks will be thrown out of this country” and promised that the neighbor’s face would be smeared on the pavement.

After the video appeared, Znotiņš tweeted that he wanted to apologize to those who were offended by his behavior, “including those who are mentioned, who have nothing to do with the conflict.” The former deputy states that he acted hastily, but adds that “the full course of events is not reflected, creating a one-sided and biased message of what happened”.

The State Police previously, before the video appeared in the public space, stated on social networks that the actual circumstances of the event were not quite as they were publicly reported.

Later, the State Police imposed an administrative fine of 100 euros on Znotiņš for the conflict in the stairwell.