Integration monitor is a daily Latvian press digest on ethnic minority and society integration issues. The Monitor reviews the biggest Latvian dailies: Diena, Latvijas Avize, Neatkariga (in Latvian language), Vesti Segodnya (in Russian language). In specific cases other information sources are used. Latvian Centre for Human Rights is not responsible for information published by the media.

• Radical nationalist Mayor candidate proposes to liquidate minority kindergarten programmes and introduce higher taxes for foreign real estate buyers
• Anonymous informers of the State Language Centre publish personal information of persons allegedly lacking state language proficiency

 

Newspapers report about the Congress of the radical nationalist union "All for Latvia!-For Fatherland and Freedom / Latvian National Independence Movement" (AfL!-FF/LNIM) held on 9 March 2013. The leader of the union MP Raivis Dzintars emphasised that the union is strengthening its positions. The greatest challenges to the union are demographics, national ethnic culture, social justice and ethnic Latvianness. The Minister of Welfare Ilze Vinkele (Unity) got criticised for being "keen on solving pseudo-problems" of changing children gender identity while ignoring low birthrate in Latvia (the lowest in the EU). The union's candidate to the post of the Mayor of Riga Baiba Broka presented the action programme for the Riga municipality. Mrs. Broka proposes to liquidate minority kindergarten programmes and introduce higher taxes for foreigners, who buy real estate in Riga in order to receive residence permits in Latvia. Mrs Broka is disappointed about the fact that the Unity and the Reform Party did not respond to the call to strengthen the cooperation of "ethnically Latvian" parties in Riga municipality. Diena, Latvijas Avize, NRA, Vesti Segodnya

 

Vesti Segodnya reports that informers of the State Language Centre publish personal information and other details of persons or organisations accused of insufficient state language usage or proficiency: names, employment positions, names or registration numbers of the enterprises. Informers remain anonymous. According to the information of the State Language Centre, the number of complaints about insufficient usage or proficiency in the state language has increased 12-fold since 2005.