• Discussion on integration of immigrant children held by the National Integration Centre
• Human Rights Committee decided to establish a special working group on elaboration of the draft law banning usage of totalitarian symbols in public
• OCMA checks whether Latvian millionaire Sergejs Zaharjins legally received Latvian citizenship

 Latvijas Avize reports about a discussion “How Open is Education in Latvia” held by the National Integration Centre about integration of immigrant children. According to a director of one of the Riga schools, in general, there are no big problems hindering schools from accepting immigrant children, however, it would be useful to establish a special school for immigrants to attend during the first couple of months after arrival to Latvia. Such school could help to adapt to Latvian education system and learn Latvian language. Expert on education policy Ligita Grigule supported the idea that the future teachers should learn during their education process special skills to work with immigrants. At present, there are 546 immigrant children studying in Latvian schools, majority of them are from Russia (138), the United Kingdom (45), Germany (45), the U.S.A (26).

The Saeima’s Human Rights Committee decided to establish a working group on elaboration of the draft amendments to the Law "On the Security of Public Entertainment and Festive Events." As reported, initially, the aim of the draft law was to ban public usage of the symbols of the USSR, Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic and the Nazi Germany. According to Vesti Segodnya, it is expected that the draft law will include more specific definition of what kind of symbols should be prohibited. Vesti Segodnya

Vesti Segodnya reports that the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (OCMA) verifies whether the head of the board of the biggest Latvian metallurgical enterprise “Liepajas Metalurgs”, millionaire Sergejs Zaharjins legally received Latvian citizenship. The verification was initiated after the complaint to state police submitted by some person who asserts that the state language proficiency of Mr Zaharjins is too low. Sergejs Zaharjins received Latvian citizenship trough naturalisation procedure in 1999.

 

• MP Aleksandrs Sakovskis: interethnic relations are set to deteriorate, because the relevant key positions are occupied by the radical nationalists who determine the agenda

 

MP and the member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Aleksandrs Sakovskis stated that the interethnic relations in Latvia are set to deteriorate, because all the key positions relevant to the integration of society are occupied by the representatives of the radical nationalists union "All for Latvia! - For Fatherland and Freedom / Latvian National Independence Movement" (AL!FF/LNIM): Inara Murniece, one of the harshest supporters of the ban on the Soviet symbols is a chairperson of the Saeima's Human Rights and Public Affairs Committee, while the Ministry of Justice (lead by Janis Bordans) provides legal expertise for the draft laws, and the Ministry of Culture, which is in charge of society integration policies, is lead by Zaneta Jaunzeme-Grende. MP Raivis Dzintars, the co-chairperson of AL!FF/LNIM who was involved in the incident at the Freedom Monument on 16 March 2013 (the unofficial commemoration day of Latvian Waffen SS legionnaires), is in charge of patriotic education. There are no prospects for integration improvements as long as AL!FF/LNIM ideologues de-facto determine the agenda. Vesti Segodnya 

• Consolidation Committee: the work of countless institutions in integration policy oftentimes leads to a real mess

 

Saeima’s Society Consolidation Committee concluded there are systemic problems in the field of society integration, determined by the lack of coordination and supervision: countless number of ministries and institutions are implementing projects in the field, which oftentimes leads to a real mess. According to the head of the Committee Ainars Latkovskis, so far, the system was only able to function thanks to the employees' personal willingness to cooperate. Finances for the society integration represent a special problem. The Committee plans to address the Prime-Minister Valdis Dombrovskis, requesting answers to a number of questions. In particular, the Committee is asking whether the government has a detailed programme on the issue of non-citizenship, whether the government has information about various groups of non-citizens and what is the government strategy to speak to the non-citizens. The Committee also wants to know how the government plans to improve coordination between various integration institutions. Latvijas Avize

• Survey: 61% of the respondents believe the schools should not teach the pupils to sacrifice their lives for Latvia

 

The public opinion research centre SKDS conducted a survey "Good School: Wishes and Evaluations" commissioned by the conservative ideas society "Populares Latvia". When asked whether the schools should teach the pupils to sacrifice their lives for Latvia, 17% of the respondents supported and 61% rejected the idea. The views of ethnic Latvians and minorities are similar on this issue. The director of the SKDS Arnis Kaktins believes these answers are linked to the readiness of the parents themselves to sacrifice their lives for the state and eventually show rather low trust of the society towards the state. The most popular subjects are English language and sports/physical training: 80% "definitely support" teaching English at school and 77% "definitely support" teaching sports/physical training at schools. 47% of Latvian-speakers "definitely support" teaching Russian language at schools and 41% "rather support" teaching Russian at schools, while 77% of Russian-speakers "definitely support" teaching Russian at schools and 22% "rather support" teaching Russian at schools. 33% of respondents support Christian teaching at schools, while 56% believe that the schools should not interfere with this issue, because religion is a private or family issue. Latvijas Avize, Vesti Segodnya

 

• Former child prisoners are upset by the ignorance of the authorities
• The Saeima moves to extend the ban on the usage of the USSR symbols in public

Vesti Segodnya reports about the victims' commemoration ceremony held at the site of the former Nazi-operated concentration camp in Salaspils. The annual ceremony is held on the same date as the date of the rebellion in Buchenwald camp in 1945, which prevented the Nazis from destroying the evidences of crimes. The leader of the NGO "Memory for the Future" Yelena Gribun recalls that the worst ordeal of all experienced at Salaspils camp was the forcible withdrawal of blood from the child prisoners for the needs of Nazi army hospitals. Her whole family was deported by the Nazis from Byelorussia to Salaspils camp. The participants of the commemoration ceremony are upset about the fact that the site is neglected by the local authorities, while high state officials who were invited to the ceremony ignored this event.

The Saeima moves to amend the Law "On the Security of Public Entertainment and Festive Events" by including the ban on the public usage of the symbols of the USSR, Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic and the Nazi Germany. Currently, similar ban exists in the Law "On Meeting, Processions and Pickets". Some observers believe the draft amendments use vague, unclear language which leaves a large room for arbitrary interpretation. MP Igors Pimenovs (Concord Centre) opposes the move and stated that these amendments equate the aggressor (Nazi Germany) which had to be defeated by the world allied forces, and the victim of that aggression, which suffered and won that war (USSR); had the USSR lost the WWII, there would be no Latvia today. MP Dzintars Rasnacs (All for Latvia! - For Fatherland and Freedom / Latvian National Independence Movement) argued in favour of the amendments, because without the amendments, the Soviet symbols could be freely used by the participants of 9 May (the day of victory over the Nazi Germany as celebrated by many people in the former USSR). Latvijas Avize, Vesti Segodnya