• Riga City Council will issue permission for holding processions and meetings on 16 March
• Education Initiative Centre distributes post cards aimed at promotion of Roma integration

Yesterday, the Executive Director of the Riga City Council Andris Grinbergs has stated that all organisations which applied for a permission of the Riga City Council to hold a public event on 16 March - unofficial commemoration day of Latvian legionaries - will be issued permissions. As reported, five organisations are planning to hold processions and meetings on 16 March. The Minister of Interiors Ivars Godmanis has stated that the police will be present at the places of planned events to prevent any public disorders and possible clashes.

Yesterday, the Executive Director of the Riga City Council Andris Grinbergs has stated that all organisations which applied for a permission of the Riga City Council to hold a public event on 16 March - unofficial commemoration day of Latvian legionaries - will be issued permissions. As reported, five organisations are planning to hold processions and meetings on 16 March. The Minister of Interiors Ivars Godmanis has stated that the police will be present at the places of planned events to prevent any public disorders and possible clashes. Chas, Vesti Segodnya, Telegraf, Diena, Latvijas Avize, NRA

NRA reports that an NGO - the Education Initiative Centre – printed and distributes a set of postcards aimed at promotion of Roma integration, raising awareness about equal rights of Roma children to education and promote the national action plan Roma in Latvia. The post cards are drawings of school children depicting their images of Roma. The other side of the post-cards provides information on Roma integration activities in Latvia.

• Ultra-right organisations held a conference Truth about Latvian WWII Legion and Aims of the Russias Propaganda in Riga
• Riga City Council will review applications of several organisations to hold public events on 16 March

On Saturday, several extreme ultra-right organisations held a conference “Truth about Latvian WWII Legion and Aims of Russia’s Propaganda” in Riga. Participants criticized Latvian government for non-recognition of 16 March – unofficial commemoration day of Latvian legionaries. The leader of the Latvian Power Union (NSS in its Latvian acronym) Viktors Birze stated that the issue to hold a procession on 16 March is the matter of high principles, therefore will be hold anyway.

On Saturday, several extreme ultra-right organisations held a conference Truth about Latvian WWII Legion and Aims of Russias Propaganda in Riga. Participants criticized Latvian government for non-recognition of 16 March – unofficial commemoration day of Latvian legionaries. The leader of the Latvian Power Union (NSS in its Latvian acronym) Viktors Birze stated that the issue to hold a procession on 16 March is the matter of high principles, therefore will be hold anyway. Chas, Vesti Segodnya, Telegraf, Latvijas Avize, NRA

Diena reports that today, the Riga City Council will review applications of several organisations asking the Riga City Council to issue permissions to hold public activities on 16 March. As reported, three organisations are planning to hold commemorational processions; while Latvian Anti-fascistic Committee – a meeting against fascism and a member of the Riga City Council Genadijs Kotovs (FHRUL) is planning to hold a procession aimed at the protection of rights of tenants of denationalised houses. Diena also provides comprehensive information on national radical organisations that want to organise events on 16 March or might take part in them.

• Liepaja Russian Community meets to discuss its plans

Chas reports that the Liepaja (city in the Northern part of Latvia) Russian Community (LRC) will hold meeting on 11 March on its plans. According to the head of the LRC Valerijs Kravcovs, there are 1,800 members in the LRC and it is the biggest Russian NGO in Latvia. We were able to unite almost all Russian residents in Liepaja and to demonstrate what a united community can achieve – stated Valerijs Kravcovs

• Head of the State Fire Safety and Rescue Service: amendments to regulations on required levels of state language proficiency for fire-fighters must be annulled

The Head of the State Fire Safety and Rescue Service (SFSRS) Aigars Pencis in an interview with a daily

The Head of the State Fire Safety and Rescue Service (SFSRS) Aigars Pencis in an interview with a daily Telegraf has stated that the Cabinet of Ministers must annul the adopted amendments to regulations on required levels of state language proficiency according to which fire-fighters must speak the state language at the highest level. Aigars Pencis has stated that the requirement that state language proficiency level of a line fire-fighter is at second level would be appropriate

• Leader of a nationalistic party proposes to relocate the Monument of Soviet Soldiers to the very outskirts of Riga
• Existing version of a draft law on granting compensation to the Jewish Community of Latvia will not be reviewed by the Saeima

Leader of the ultra-right political party “All for Latvia!” Raivis Dzintars has sent a letter to the Ministry of Regional Development and Municipal Affairs asking to de-construct the Monument for Liberators of Riga from Nazi Invaders and relocate Raivis Dzintars believes that the monument symbolises Latvia’s occupation by the Soviet Union and therefore should not be in the centre of Riga.

Leader of the ultra-right political party All for Latvia! Raivis Dzintars has sent a letter to the Ministry of Regional Development and Municipal Affairs asking to de-construct the Monument for Liberators of Riga from Nazi Invaders and relocate Raivis Dzintars believes that the monument symbolises Latvias occupation by the Soviet Union and therefore should not be in the centre of Riga. Chas, Vesti Segodnya, Latvijas Avize

NRA reports that an existing version of a draft law on granting compensation to the Jewish Community of Latvia will not be reviewed by the Saeima. As reported, in November, the majority of the Saeima did not support the draft law on granting LVL 32,000,000 (EUR 45,531,897) and some real estate buildings to the Jewish Community as a compensation for historical injustices brought to the Latvian Jewish community during the Holocaust and the Soviet period.