Why were Latvia’s environmental demonstrations of 1987 historically important?

The environmental demonstrations held in Latvia in 1987 were historically significant because they represented the first nonofficial, staged political gatherings in the country during the postwar era.12

These protests emerged during a period of national renaissance in the late 1980s, which was facilitated by the Soviet policies of glasnost ("openness") and perestroika (economic and political restructuring). By organizing around ecological concerns, groups such as the Environmental Protection Club were able to challenge the status quo and create a space for public dissent that had been suppressed for decades under Soviet rule.12