• Head of the Latvian Traders Association Henriks Danusevics: Latvia does not have to bring guest workers

In an interview with

In an interview with Vesti Segodnya, the Head of the Latvian Traders Association Henriks Danusevics has stated that Latvia does not have to bring guest workers because this would hinder growth of salaries in the country. Mr. Danusevic believes that the solution for shortage of labour force in Latvia is to raise productivity of labour and redistribute available labour force.

• Security Police has initiated 16 criminal cases on incitement to national, ethnic or racial hatred in 2007
• Ex-President of Latvia Guntis Ulmanis: decrease of mass-scale non-citizenship in the country is among the main national interests
• Chas prints an appeal of the EU Commissioner on Education, Training, Culture and Youth Jan Figel about the year 2008 proclaimed as the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue
• MEP from Latvia Tatyana Zdanoka: Russian parties from Latvia should unite in one list for the next EP elections in 2009
• National Radio and Television Council has sent a letter to the regulator for the U.K. communications industries Ofcom with a request to provide information about its further actions regarding a greeting Happy New Year, Aryans! which appeared on the First Baltic Musical Channel

The Security Police has initiated 16 criminal cases on incitement to national, ethnic or racial hatred in 2007. All cases are still under the investigation. According to a representative of the Security Police, there is no tendency for extremist activities in Latvia to subside. Manifestations of extremism most often include targeting certain racial, religious and ethnic groups, such as expressions of ethnic hatred between Russian speakers and Latvians. Telegraf, Latvijas Avize

Chas prints an interview with the ex-President of Latvia Guntis Ulmanis. Mr. Ulmanis considers that decrease of mass-scale non-citizenship in the country is among the main national interests of Latvia. Mr. Ulmanis believes that non-citizens should not be examined for their loyalty towards Latvia because their choice to reside in the country, work and pay taxis here displays their loyalty.

Chas prints an appeal of the EU Commissioner on Education, Training, Culture and Youth Jan Figel about the year 2008 proclaimed as the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue. According to the Commissioner, this year will give a chance for everybody to realise that mutual understanding and respect should play a central role in our society if it wants to continue peaceful and constructive development. The Commissioner believes that intercultural dialogue should be a long term priority for each person and for entire society.

Telegraf prints an interview with the MEP from Latvia Tatyana Zdanoka. Mrs. Zdanoka believes that if so-called Russian parties from Latvia want to be represented in the European Parliament they should unite in one list for the next EP elections in 2009.

Diena reports that the National Radio and Television Council (NRTC) has sent a letter to the regulator for the U.K. communications industries Ofcom with a request to provide information about its further actions regarding a greeting Happy New Year, Aryans! (signed Skinheads) which appeared on 1 January on a chat of the First Baltic Musical Channel. The Channel is broadcasting in Latvia trough satellite, however, it is registered in the United Kingdom, and therefore, Latvian legal acts do not allow reacting on such statements which allegedly incite to racial hatred. According to the representative of the NRTC, Ofcom is authorized to request from the channel a record of the broadcast in which the message has appeared, and if the message will be interpreted as incitement to hatred the British side might and impose severe sanctions on the channel.

• Chas reports on a case under the revision of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) of a Latvian pensioner, non-citizen Natalija Andrejeva
• Chas reports about a book Identity of Russians in Latvia: Historical and Sociological Study
• Head of the State Border Guards Gundars Dabolins: number of illegal immigrants in Latvia might increase soon
• Latvijas Avize reports that a racist greeting was published on 1 January on a chat of the First Baltic Musical Channel

Chas reports on a case under the revision of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) of a Latvian pensioner, non-citizen Natalija Andrejeva who objects to the fact that the years of her employment spent outside of Latvia in Soviet times not included into the total length of service. The claim was submitted to the ECHR in 2000 and recently was forwarded to the Great Chamber of the ECHR for revision. The newspaper argues that if Mrs. Andrejeva wins the case Latvia will have to repeal the refusal to include years of employment spent outside of Latvia by non-citizens.

Chas reports about a book Identity of Russians in Latvia: Historical and Sociological Study edited by the academicians Ilga Apine and Vladislavs Volkovs with financial support of the Secretariat of the Special Assignments Minister for Social Integration. The book is an overview of historical development and the present state of Russian identity in Latvia. According to the authors, Russians in Latvia have strong collective identity.

The Head of the State Border Guard Gundars Dabolins has stated that the number of illegal immigrants in Latvia might increase soon because the country has joined the Shengen zone and it is hard to control incomers.

The Head of the State Border Guard Gundars Dabolins has stated that the number of illegal immigrants in Latvia might increase soon because the country has joined the Shengen zone and it is hard to control incomers. Vesti Segodnya

Latvijas Avize reports that a greeting Happy New Year, Aryans! (signed Skinheads) appeared on 1 January on a chat of the First Baltic Musical Channel. Representative of the Ombudsmans Office has stated that such greeting is unpleasant and unacceptable, however it will be very hard to prove that it incites to racial or ethnic hatred.

• Enterprise Buvniecibas ABC has appealed in the Administrative Regional Court the decision of the Consumers Rights Protection Centre to punish the enterprise for discriminating advertisement

Owner of an enterprise “Buvniecibas ABC” has appealed in the Administrative Regional Court the decision of the Consumers Rights Protection Centre to punish the enterprise for discriminating advertisement. As reported, in April, the Centre for the Protection of Consumer Rights has fined “Buvniecibas ABC” in amount of LVL 5,000 (EUR 7,144) for discriminating advertisement which shows a dark-skinned man who in broken Latvian says “I to want building yours house” and the text behind the advertisement says “All for construction and repair work but foreign labour force.” Author of the advertisement, advertising agency Inorek&Grey; has stated that the aim of the advertisement is to actualise the problem of influx of illegal labour force to Latvia.

Owner of an enterprise Buvniecibas ABC has appealed in the Administrative Regional Court the decision of the Consumers Rights Protection Centre to punish the enterprise for discriminating advertisement. As reported, in April, the Centre for the Protection of Consumer Rights has fined Buvniecibas ABC in amount of LVL 5,000 (EUR 7,144) for discriminating advertisement which shows a dark-skinned man who in broken Latvian says I to want building yours house and the text behind the advertisement says All for construction and repair work but foreign labour force. Author of the advertisement, advertising agency Inorek&Grey has stated that the aim of the advertisement is to actualise the problem of influx of illegal labour force to Latvia. Vesti Segodnya

• Kulturas Diena features an interview with Fleming Rose, journalist of the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten which posted several cartoons portraying the Prophet Mohamed in 2005

Kulturas Diena features an interview with Fleming Rose, a Danish journalist, author and the current cultural editor at the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten which posted several cartoons portraying the Prophet Mohamed in 2005. Fleming Rose has taken part in a presentation of documentary films about democracy held in Riga. Mr. Rose considers that publication of cartoons has affected a fundamental issue: how would representatives of various religions and non-believers co-exist in multicultural society without compromising fundamental democratic values. Mr. Rose believes that the time has come to launch the discussions on whether some values in a democracy should not be a matter of compromise