• 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

 

• Governing coalition agreed to tighten the system of granting residence permits
• Activists for rights of Russian speakers in Latvia attended the session of the OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Meeting
• Ambassador of Israel: restitution of Jewish properties is Latvian internal issue

Under the pressure of the nationalists’ union All for Latvia!/FF-LNIM and the threats not to support the state budget for next year, the governing coalition agreed to tighten the system of granting residence permits to foreign investors. According to the agreement, the residence permits further will be granted with quotas. Thus, in 2014, the quotas will include 700 deals with real estate in a value of EUR 150,000-500,000 and 100 deals in value over EUR 500,000.

Vesti Segodnya reports that several activists for rights of Russian speakers in Latvia attended the session of the OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Meeting held on 4 October.According a representative of the Parliament of Unrepresented Aleksandrs Gaponenko, at the session he presented a report on ethnic relations and non-citizens in Latvia. Mr Gaponenko asserted that there are ethnic conflicts and repressions in Latvia which concern also such small nation as Latgalians who do not even have education in their own language. Mr Gaponenko also stated that ethnic conflicts in Baltic states have open nature and soon real resistance might raise.

The Ambassador of Israel in Latvia and Lithuania Hagit Ben-Jakov in an interview with Neatkariga stated that Israel do not interfere in the issue of restitution of Jewish properties because it is internal affair and should be solved by the Latvian authorities and local Jewish community. The Ambassador also believes that it is important that Latvians understand what happened during Holocaust in Latvia, about Latvian citizens who were brutally killed by Nazis and some local collaborators. 

• Nils Usakovs: Healthy local patriotism leads to effective all-Latvian patriotism

 

Latvijas Avize interviewed the Mayor of Riga Nils Usakovs (Concord Centre). According to Mr. Usakovs, the goal of the Concord Centre in the upcoming Saeima's elections is to repeat at the national level the experience of his party in Riga municipality. In particular, Mr. Usakovs believes that the coalition Honour to Serve Riga / Concord Centre was the first successful example of joint Latvian- and Russian- speaking politicians being supported by the electorate, ethnic Latvians, Russians and others alike. He believes one should focus on topical issues beyond ethnicity and there are plenty of unresolved problems at the national level - in economics, demography, social sphere. Mr. Usakovs believes the Nationalist Union are likely to retain their representation in the parliament at present level, while Vladimirs Lindermans has no support by the voters. According to Mr Usakovs, the recently announced decision to reduce the price of public transportation for residents of Riga is motivated by economic considerations. 

• Janis Urbanovics: Russophobia is implanted by the politicians

 

NRA interviewed the leader of the Concord Centre (CC) Janis Urbanovics. According to Mr Urbanovics, the ruling coalition falsely accuses CC through the state TV, affiliated political scientists and newspapers. One accusation is that CC does not recognise Latvia's continuity with the republic established in 1918 and the occupation in 1940, thus portraying CC as enemies of the state and the people of Latvia. Mr. Urbanovics emphasises that he prizes Latvian values as high as the government parties do. Mr Urbanovics believes that Russophobia is implanted by the politicians and it is easier for the governmental parties to proclaim that "Russians are coming!" instead of doing anything real for the benefit of the people. 

• Newspapers reflect on the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Latvian Popular Front
• Riga Russian Theatre celebrated its 130th anniversary

 

Newspapers reflect on the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Latvian Popular Front (LPF) which brought country to independence. 250,000 people of different ethnicities participated in the activities of LPF. Diena, Latvijas Avize, NRA, Vesti Segodnya

 

Riga Russian Theatre celebrated its 130th anniversary. The event was attended by the numerous representatives of theatrical community from Latvia and abroad, as well as some Latvian officials Russian representatives. According to the newspaper, this is the oldest Russian theatre outside Russia. Vesti Segodnya