at 4:45 on 13 january, an announcement from the popular front was broadcast by latvian radio calling people to gather in riga cathedral square. at 12:00 noon the supreme council session on defense issues was held. at 14.00 the popular front's demonstration began, around 700,000 people had gathered, soviet helicopters dropped leaflets with warnings over the crowd at this point. the popular front called on people to build barricades. the supreme council held another session after the demonstration, the mps were asked to stay at the supreme council overnight. the evening session issued a call for soviet soldiers asking them to disobey orders concerning the use of force against civilians. as night came, following orders from the government, agricultural and construction machines and trucks full of logs arrived in riga to build barricades. trucks, engineering vehicles and agricultural machinery were brought into the city to block streets.