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.

Integration and Minority Information Service of the Latvian Centre for Human Rights

• Teacher Vladislavs Rafalskis will not be dismissed
• Head of the Education, Culture and Sports Committee of the Riga City Council Eizenija Aldermane: Riga’s integration program promotes equal opportunities for all residents
• EU Commissioner for Home Affairs Cecilia Malmstrom: immigration is not a threat
• Conference “Towards Inclusive Society without Hatred: Experience, Achievements and Challenges in Latvia”

Teacher of a Russian language school Vladislavs Rafalskis will not be dismissed. After consulting with lawyers, director of the school took decision not to dismiss the teacher because he already got punished by a written remark as it was recommended by the school’s ethics committee. As reported, Mr Rafalskis in an interview to a radio made a public statement about his disloyalty towards the state. Following the statement, MPs from the nationalists’ union demanded to dismiss the teacher and also the State Service of Education Quality recommended to dismiss him as a teacher should educate state patriots. Diena

Yesterday, the head of the Education, Culture and Sports Committee of the Riga City Council Eizenija Aldermane introduced the Riga integration program to the Saeima’s Society Consolidation Committee. According to Mrs Aldermane, the program emphasizes the society integration as dynamic mutual two-way process which unites the society. The integration program promotes equal opportunities for all residents regardless of their ethnicity, health status or religious views and stresses integration of newcomers or immigrants. Members of the Saeima’s Committee and the City Council’s opposition parties criticized the program for the fact that it is different from the national integration program and, in particularly, that it does not stress Latvian language and common social memory as the key elements of integration. Mrs Aldermane, in her turn, explained that the City Council practically takes care of Latvian language learning by providing free-of-charge language courses. Latvijas Avize

Latvijas Avize features an interview with the EU Commissioner for Home Affairs Cecilia Malmstrom about migration issues. Mrs Malmstrom believes immigration is not a threat and encourages Latvian residents not to be afraid of immigrants and to look at them as a source for revival of economy and expansion of own outlook. The Commissioner supports controlled immigration and believes it is important to attract highly qualified immigrants to the EU as a source of development. 

Chas reports about a conference “Towards Inclusive Society without Hatred: Experience, Achievements and Challenges in Latvia” conducted by the Riga Graduate School of Law. Latvian high officials, politicians, experts and journalists took part in the conference.  In the opening speech, the President of Latvia Andris Berzins stated that basic values of the society should include respectful attitude towards each other, ability to listen to other opinions and willingness to dialogue and compromise. The President stated that Latvia is a country of rule of law and democracy and incitement to ethnic hatred and discrimination is inadmissible.

Yours sincerely,
Integration Monitor