• Newspapers report about 16 March events in Riga
• Latvijas Avize prints an article about naturalisation process

Newspapers report about 16 March - unofficial commemoration day of Latvian Waffen SS legionnaires – events in Riga. The events began early in the morning when a youth organisation “Let’s Play” (“Paspelesimies”- in Latvian) informed the public about the importance of the 16 March and than nationalists’ organisation “Hawks of Daugava” (“Daugavas Vanagi” in Latvian) held a picket. Later, representatives of “anti-fascists” organisations laid flowers to the Monument of Freedom commemorating victims of WWII.  Near the Monument the “anti-fascists” also deployed big posters with photos of concentration camp prisoners and shooting of civilians by Nazi. After that, former legionnaires and their supporters (mostly young and middle aged persons) held a traditional procession through the city centre to the Monument of Freedom with an aim to lay the flowers. The procession was headed by the MPs of the nationalists’ union All for Latvia!-FF/LNIM Raivis Dzintars, Janis Dombrava, Imants Paradnieks, Dzintars Rasnacs, and others. At the moment when the procession approached the Monument, the anti-fascists turned on alarm loudly, followed by a Soviet-era memorial song “Buchenwald Alarm.” After that, the anti-fascists named Nazi crimes through megaphone. Such actions provoked the participants of the procession, including the MPs, who tried to attack the “anti-fascists” and their installations. As a result, the special security forces had to interfere to stop the short fight. After the events, the nationalists’ union requested the dismissal of the Minister of Interior for inability of the police to maintain the public order. During the events the police detained four persons. In total, about 3,000 took part in the events on 16 March. Diena, Neatkariga, Latvijas Avize, Vesti Segodnya

Latvijas Avize prints an article about the naturalisation process and why do people choose to become Latvian citizens. According to the head of the Naturalisation Board Igors Gorbunovs, usually non-citizens choose to become Latvian citizens not because of the sense of patriotism but due to rational reasons, considering the benefits of this status – such as citizenship of the EU, voting rights, rights for employment in other EU countries.

• Ilmars Latkovskis resigned from the post of the head of the Saeima’s Society Consolidation Committee

The MP Ilmars Latkovskis (nationalists’ union All for Latvia!-FF/LNIM) resigned from the post of the head of the Saeima’s Society Consolidation Committee after its last session. Mr Latkovskis stated that his decision is caused by a pressure from coalition and opposition MPs who pushed him during the session to reveal how he will vote regarding the proposal to grant 16 March status of official commemoration day of Latvian legionnaires. As reported, yesterday, The Saeima refused the proposal of the nationalists’ union to grant 16 March status of the official commemoration day. Ilmars Latkovskis abstained from the voting. Vesti Segodnya, Latvijas Avize, Neatkariga

• Saeima refused to grant 16 March status of the official commemoration day of Latvian legionnaires
• Vesti Segodnya reports about a “bus of integration”
• Research about social memory: comprehension about the WWII events splits the Latvian society
• Latgalian activists: autonomy of Latgale will make the region not Latgalian but Russian
• Vesti Segodnya: Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs refused to accept an application from a guardian of a child to register the child as Latvian citizen

Today, the Saeima has refused to grant 16 March status of the official commemoration day of Latvian Waffen SS legionnaires. Authors of the proposal – the nationalists’ union All for Latvia!-FF/LNIM – believed that it would restore historical justice and promote respectful attitude of the state authorities and society towards the Latvian national warriors. 18 of 100 MPs supported the proposal, 63 voted against, remaining MPs did not take part in the voting. news agency LETA

Vesti Segodnya reports about a “bus of integration” launched by the National Integration Centre. The “bus of integration” exhibits artworks made by ethnic minorities. Yesterday the bus was stationed in the centre of Riga. The aim of such activity is to introduce Latvian residents with culture of ethnic minorities. The National Integration Centre was established by the Ministry of Culture within the framework of a project on integration of third country nationals. The newspaper notes that it is unclear how such activity promotes the integration of the target group. The newspaper also notes that only Russian speaking journalists attended this opening event, yet the Minister of Culture refused to speak Russian.

Latvijas Avize reports about a research project “Monitoring of Latvian Social Memory.” In the framework of the research, its authors conducted several opinion polls of different groups of Latvian residents in 2004, 2009, 2010 and 2012. According to the results, comprehension about the WWII events splits the Latvian society and there are no positive changes over time. The research shows that still there is a large number of Russian speaking young people who believe that Latvia got voluntary incorporated within the Soviet Union after the WWII which contradicts the official Latvian history politics and comprehension about occupation of the Baltic countries.

Neatkariga interviews activist for preservation of Latgalian (residents of the eastern Latvian region – Latgale) culture and identity in Latvia – head of an NGO “Latgalian Saeima” Andris Slisans and a Latgalian writer and artist Antons Rancans. Both believe that idea of the autonomy of Latgale proposed and promoted by Vladimirs Lindermans, Aleksandrs Gaponenko and their companions, will make the region not Latgalian but Russian. According to Mr. Slisans, Latgalians face difficulties to preserve their culture not only because of the lack of support of official authorities, but also due to large impact of Russian language and Russification of its regions. As one of the best solutions how to strengthen Latgalian identity and self confidence, Mr Slisans sees introduction of lessons in Latgalian language in schools in this region.

Vesti Segodnya reports about a case when the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (OCMA) refused to accept an application from a guardian of a child (who is non-citizen) to register the child as Latvian citizen. According to the child’s guardian, the OCMA’s official refused to accept her application arguing that only the true parents have the right to submit such application about their child. After the guardian appealed to the newspaper and it contacted the head of the OCMA’s Naturalisation Board Igors Gorbunovs, the OCMA accepted the application. Mr Gorbunovs, in his turn, called this accident as misunderstanding because the guardians have the same rights as the true parents. 

• Riga City Council will not ban 16 March events in Riga
• Saeima’s civic education subcommittee supported a proposal to grant 16 March status of the official commemoration day of Latvian Waffen SS legionnaires
• MPs received an e-mail from the extremist organisation “Tautas Trubunals” with insults and direct threats
• Activist of the political party Unity wants to receive names of deputies who signed for support of a referendum on granting Russian language status of a state language

The Riga City Council will not ban the events planned to be held in Riga on 16 March – unofficial commemoration day of Latvian Waffen SS legionnaires. According to the Council’s Executive Director Juris Radzevics, the law enforcement bodies do not see threats for public order and security due to the planned events. This year, four organisations submitted application for events in the centre of Riga – nationalists’ organisations “Hawks of Daugava”, “Centre of Gustavs Celmins”, youth organisation “Let’s Play” which will hold a procession and pickets commemorating legionnaires and the “Union against Nazism” which will held a protest action against the procession of the legionnaires and their supporters. Vesti Segodnya

Yesterday, the Saeima’s civic education subcommittee of the Education, Science and Culture Committee supported a proposal of the nationalists’ union to grant 16 March status of the official commemoration day of Latvian Waffen SS legionnaires. The annotation to the draft law says that granting 16 March status of the official commemoration day “would restore historical justice and promote respectful attitude of the state authorities and society towards the Latvian national warriors.” On 14 March, the Saeima will decide whether to forward the draft law for further revision in its committees. In the meantime, the Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis stated that the majority of the MPs do not support such proposal, because the meaning of this date is too controversial and it does not unite the society but rather splits it.  Vesti Segodnya, Diena, Neatkariga

Vesti Segodnya reports that all the MPs received an e-mail from the extremist organisation “Tautas Trubunals” (People’s Tribunal – in English) with insults and direct threats to life to a number of politicians. The email contains many Russophibic and anti-Semitic epithets. In particular, authors of the email delivered to the e-mail address of the MP Valerijs Agesins (Concord Centre) stated that he resides in Latvia illegally and a revenge of ethnic Latvians is waiting for him. Mr Agesins is planning to turn to the Security Police asking to initiate a criminal proceeding on incitement to ethnic hatred and threats to life to a state official.

Latvijas Avize reports about attempts of an activist of the political party Unity Gatis Purins to receive from the Central Election Committee (CEC) names of the Parliament’s members and municipal deputies who signed for support of a referendum on granting Russian language status of a state language in Latvia. Gatis Purins believes the society has the right to know the state officials who supported such initiative. However, the CEC refused the claim of Mr Purins, the Administrative Distrcit Court also refused the claim to check the electronic data base of the Committee.

• Register of Enterprises delays registration of a party “Honour and Order” in Daugavpils
• Latvijas Avize prints an interview with the Russia’s Ambassador to Latvia Alexandr Veshnyakov

The Register of Enterprises (RE) sent appeals to the Security Police, the Bureau on Protection of Constitution, and the General Prosecutor’s Office asking to provide their opinion on whether there are any obstacles for registration of a party “Honour and Order” founded in Daugavpils (city in the Eastern part of Latvia). Representative of the RE refers to information distributed in mass media according to which the party has falsified documents about its founding meeting and that one of its aims is autonomy of Latgale region which may contradict Latvian constitution. As reported earlier, the Ministry of Justice criticized the registration of another party “For Native Language” headed by Vladimirs Lindermans seeing in it as hostile political force towards the state. Diena

Latvijas Avize prints an interview with the Russia’s Ambassador to Latvia Aleksandr Veshnyakov. According to the Ambassador, the biggest number of Latvian non-citizens who accepted Russia’s citizenship was registered in 2010, when 3,186 persons took Russian citizenship. In 2011 and 2012 this number dropped down to 3,147 and 2,884 persons. The Ambassador believes such dynamics is connected with difficult economic situation Latvia faced couple of years ago. According to the Ambassador, 713 Latvian residents resettled to Russia within the framework of the Russia’s state program on voluntary resettlement. Mr Veshnyakov believes that positive dynamics in relations between Latvia and Russia will be reached after both countries stop rhetoric which does not promote normal political climate between both.