Integration monitor

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.

maijs 13, 2014

  • Prime Minister Laimdota Straujuma: only subjects related to language, culture and history should be taught in native language
  • Latvijas Avize reports about life in Zilupe – town on the border with Russia
  • Vesti Segodnya reports about situation in Daugavpils

The Prime Minister Laimdota Straujuma in an interview with Latvijas Avize stated that only subjects related to language, culture and history should be thought in the native language of students in national minority schools. Mrs Straujuma stressed that the Education Law will not be amended, however, real proportions of state language and minority language will change in favour of state language. Vesti Segodnya 

Latvijas Avize reports about life in Zilupe – town on the border with Russia. According to the interviewed town’s residents, there are just few ethnic Latvians in town, however, they stress that it does not mean that Zilupe’s residents are not Latvian patriots. The most common communication language in Zilupe is Russian, but inside family people use also Latgalian language.

Vesti Segodnya reports about situation in Daugavpils (city in the Eastern part of Latvia where the majority of residents are Russian speakers). With the escalation of the conflict in Ukraine and Crimea, foreign media reported about the city as about the next possible “Crimea” which might request for separation from Latvia. Commenting such media reports Daugavpils’ residents criticized the foreign media for distortion of information. According to the director of the Russian House in Daugavpils, the whole problem was started by the journalists from the UK, who abused the fact that on the day of their visit, a Russian folk holiday was taking place: the journalists took footage of folk culture groups in folk costumes and added the thesis of Daugavpils as the next Crimea. The director rejects this as "nonsense" and when interviewed by other foreign journalists also asks them not to incite Russophobia and hysteria, or artificially divide the people of Latvia, explaining that people in Daugavpils live in completely different historical conditions than people in Crimea. Young people interviewed by the newspaper also deny that city residents would support separation of Daugavpils and reunion with Russia and do not believe that there are residents who consider that their president is Putin. While rejecting separatism accusations, some of the interviewed also highlighted problems of the city – decline of industries and unemployment, the lack of guarantees for the status of Russian language and education in native language, and also stated that the government should not ignore these problems but to make a step towards the interests of its Russian-speaking people.

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