• 1,813,466 Latvian citizens and 262,622 Latvian non-citizens resided in Latvia on 1 January 2015
• Vesti Segodnya reports about a conference of an organisation “World without Nazism” conducted in Riga on 15 March
• Latvijas Avize interviews the Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Culture Einars Cilinskis

According to the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs, there were 1,813,466 Latvian citizens in Latviaon 1 January 2015. 262,622 residents has status of Latvian non-citizen. 51,029 persons have permanent residence permit. There were also 54,803 citizens of Russia, 4,838 Ukrainian citizens, 2,750 Belorussian citizens, 1,219 Uzbek citizens, and 1,200 citizens of China.  Vesti Segodnya

Vesti Segodnya reports about a conference of an organisation “World without Nazism” conducted inRiga on 15 March. The conference was timed to 16 March – the unofficial commemoration day of Latvian Waffen SS legionnaires inLatvia. According to the leader of the organisation Josifs Korens, a hotel where the conference was initially planned has refused renting the premises couple of days before the scheduled date. Mr Korens believes that the Latvian special services made a pressure on the owners of the hotel and forced it to cancel the reservation. Due to this obstacle, the conference was conducted in the premises of the Russian Union inLatvia. Participants of the conference discussed rebirth of Nazism inLatvia andEurope.

Latvijas Avize interviews the Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Culture Einars Cilinskis. Mr Cilinskis said that, presently, the main challenge forLatvia in terms of integration policy is counter actions onRussia’s propaganda. At the same time, he stresses that not only Russian speaking residents are impacted byRussia’s propaganda but also some ethnic Latvians who live inRussia’s informative space. Regarding the 16 March, Mr Cilinskis called Latvian residents to take part in the commemorative events and also said that if the President of Latvia or the Prime Minister would also took part in the procession to the Monument of Freedom in Riga and lay flowers, it could be a solution to relieve political tensions around this day. As reported, in 2014, Einars Cilinskis got dismissed from the post of the Minister of Environmental Protection and Regional Development due to his decision to take part in the procession on 16 March. 

• German daily Die Welt “Aliens in Latvia” published an article about discrimination of non-citizens in Latvia
• Former Russia’s Ambassador to Latvia Viktor Kalyuzhniy: Russia had a programme how to bring pro-Russian parties to power in Latvia
• Academic Vita Zelce proposes to change the ritual of 16 March

Diena reports about an article published by a German daily Die Welt “Aliens in Latvia” about discrimination of non-citizens in Latvia.  The Latvian Embassy in Berlin has responded to the publication by sending the Die Welt editorial fact sheet with data about citizenship and language issues in Latvia and a letter saying that situation in Latvia in the article is interpreted inaccurately with factual mistakes.  Commenting the article, the adviser of the Minister of Culture on society integration and media policy Martins Kaprans, says that it is biased and reflectsRussia’s opinion aboutLatvia as about the state violating human rights. Mr Kaprans says that myths aboutLatvia in western media tend to multiply due to poor comprehension about Latvian history and, for instance, who are the people with status of non-citizen. He also acknowledges thatLatvia does not have enough sources to counter-propaganda. Therefore, the state should focus on promotion of its own more accurate message.

Latvijas Avize reports that formerRussia’s Ambassador to Latvia Viktor Kalyuzhniy in an interview with aRussia’s radio station “Echo Moskvi” stated thatRussia had a programme how to impact voting results inLatvia and to achieve that pro-Russian political parties come to power. Mr Kalyuzhniy said that there was a programme according to whichRiga should become “Russian” in 2009, but the Parliament in 2010. Commenting such statement, representative of the Concord Centre deny the existence of such programme. According to the leader of the party Nils Usakovs, Viktor Kalyuzhniy overestimates his role in the historical events. The Russian Embassy in Latvia responded that it will not comment on “fantasies” of Mr Kalyuzhniy and stressed that the Embassy works in accordance with all international and mutual agreements.

Academic Vita Zelce proposes to change the ritual of 16 March (the unofficial day of commemoration of Latvian Waffen SS legionnaires.) Mrs Zelce believes that the commemorating procession should be taken outside the centre of Rigain order to prevent incitement of hatred and aggression. According to Vita Zelce, organisations representing legionnaires, church and professional arranging mass events should be involved in the transformation of the ritual in order to find appropriate form for the content of 16March as an event commemorating lost lives, compassion, and condemnation of totalitarianism. Neatkariga  

• Latvian historians are preparing an informative material about 16 March

A group of Latvian historians is preparing an informative material about 16 March – the unofficial commemoration day of Latvian Waffen SS legionnaires. The informative material explains the essence of the 16 March and analyses controversy around it.  It clarifies that the Latvian legion was established illegally during the WWII as the Nazi Germany mobilized local residents illegally as well as the USSR mobilised part of Latvian residents in its army. It also stresses that today, specific organisations use this day with an aim to accuse Latviaand ethnic Latvians in rebirth of Nazism in order to discredit the state on international level. The aim of the material is to promote comprehension about 16 March, strengthen state image and argumentation about accusation in rebirth of Nazism in Latvia.  Latvijas Avize

• Musical "Cukurs. Herberts Cukurs" postponed to 13 April because of possible provocations 

According to the producer of musical "Cukurs. Herberts Cukurs" Juris Millers, on the basis of the Security Police information about possible provocations concerning 16 March (unofficial commemoration date of Latvian Waffen SS legionaries), the musical was postponed from 17 March to 13 April 2015. As reported, the musical tells about Herberts Cukurs, who was an aviation pioneer during the 1930s, yet during 1941-1944 also took part in the "Arajs Kommando", which was responsible for the mass murders in Latvia during occupation. The musical was condemned by minority NGOs in Latvia, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Edgars Rinkevics and the director of Jerusalem office of the Simon Wiesenthal Centre Efraim Zuroff. The Premiere of the musical in Riga was marked by protest actions organised by Socialist Party of Latvia and Latvian Anti-fascist Committee.

News portal DELFI: www.delfi.lv/kultura/news/theatre/iespejamo-provokaciju-del-parcelta-muzikla-cukurs-herberts-cukurs-norise.d?id=45675156

• Tatjana Zdanoka and Josifs Korens allege the head of Security Police Normunds Mezvietis is lying
• Media expert Sergejs Kruks: it is unclear what the government means by "media coordination", "media supervision" or "information space" 

The head of Security Police Normunds Mezvietis in an interview with Latvian Television programme "Morning Panorama" stated that an NGO established by the MP from Latvia Tatjana Zdanoka and the coordinator of movement "Latvia without Nazism" Josifs Korens received EUR 25,000 from Russia’s "Foundation for the support and protection of rights of compatriots living abroad" in order to organise activities concerning 16 March (unofficial commemoration day of Latvian Waffen SS legionaries). Tatjana Zdanoka denied the NGO received this funding and Josifs Korens commented that Mr Mezvietis is lying. According to Mr Korens, they indeed considered a possibility to organise a conference in Riga concerning 16 March and to submit application for funding to the said Foundation, yet eventually declined this idea. Mr Korens believes the statement of Mr Mezvietis is also an evidence of total surveillance of their conversations and of the content of their computers. Mr Korens called upon Mr Mezvietis to stop lying. Diena, Latvijas Avize, Vesti Segodnya 

Neatkariga interviews Riga Stradins University professor, mass media expert Sergejs Kruks. Mr. Kruks points out that it is unclear what the government means by "media coordination", "media supervision" or "information space". He believes there are two contradicting suggestions regarding communication with national minorities: to establish a Russian TV channel and the advice to politicians not to speak in Russian. According to Mr. Kruks, the reason why national minorities show little interest in Latvian-speaking mass media is that these media do not speak about the problems topical for minorities and if a representative of national minority expresses unpleasant things in good Latvian, she is considered "unintegrated". He also believes mass media in Latvia reflect political culture of the elite and make its assessment within the agenda set by the government. Journalists are dependent on the "discourse of the bureaucracy" and the media is reproducing flashy slogans produced by someone else such as "Russians are coming!", "Latvia is a success story", or the most recent "Information war".