Okt 11 2013

• Security Police initiated 18 criminal proceedings on incitement to ethnic hatred
• Vesti Segodnya interviews academic Juris Rozenvalds about interethnic relations
• Politika.lv plans to conduct a discussion on transfer of preschool education into Latvian language
• Concord Centre: draft Preamble to the Constitution changes its spirit and intent
• Representative of the Parliament of Unrepresented plans to shoot a documentary about Latvian non-citizens

The Security Police initiated 18 criminal proceedings on incitement to ethnic hatred during this year. According to the Security Police, the majority of hate crimes in Latvia are expressed as hate speech – publishing insulting comments in online forums about someone’s ethnicity, race or nationality, and in certain cases indirectly threatening with violence. 17 of 18 criminal proceedings are about ethnic hatred. 12 cases are hateful expressions against ethnic Latvians, four against Jews, one against Russians, and one against representative of other race. Vesti Segodnya, news agency LETA

Vesti Segodnya interviews academic Juris Rozenvalds about interethnic relations among ethnic Latvians and Russian speaking residents. According to Mr Rozenvalds, since 80’s when the proportion of non-Latvians in Latvia was very high ethnic Latvians still have fear to become a minority. This fear has become a determining factor in how ethnic relations got established in Latvia and politicians still are cultivating it. Mr Rozenvalds believes that Russian speakers are involved in the political process insufficiently and therefore they lose motivation to live here and often emigrate from the country. Mr Rozenvalds believes that currently Latvia stands at crossroads when the two strong ethnic communities should decide whether they will go deeper in confrontation or choose pragmatic peaceful co-existing.

On 16 October, internet portal politika.lv in co-operation with the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung is organising a discussion “Preschool education only in Latvian. Needless, too early or the last moment?” The aim of the discussion is to negotiate the proposal of the nationalists’ union to transfer all state funded kindergartens into Latvian language only. Latvijas Avize

The Saeima’s faction of the Concord Centre criticizes the draft Preamble to the Constitution of Latvia stating that its authors want to change the spirit and intent of the Constitution by splitting the Latvian people on ethnic lines. According to the Concord Centre the Constitution says that the sovereign power in the state belongs to people but the aim of the Preamble is to establish ethnic democracy on Latvia. Vesti Segodnya

Representative of the Parliament of Unrepresented Aleksandrs Gaponenko is planning to shoot a documentary about Latvian non-citizens. The documentary will show personal stories of non-citizens. Vesti Segodnya