Integration monitor is a daily Latvian press digest on ethnic minority and society integration issues. The Monitor reviews the biggest Latvian dailies: Diena, Latvijas Avize, Neatkariga (in Latvian language), Vesti Segodnya (in Russian language). In specific cases other information sources are used. Latvian Centre for Human Rights is not responsible for information published by the media.

• Latvijas Avize interviews the Professor of the Lancaster University Paul Igansky and other participants of the conference “Effective ways of addressing hate crimes and hate speech” held in Riga
• Union of Greens and Farmers revoked its proposal to lower requirements for state language proficiency for refugees

Latvijas Avize interviews the Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice of the Law Department of the Lancaster University Paul Igansky who participated in the conference “Effective ways of addressing hate crimes and hate speech” organised by the Latvian Centre for Human Rights on 22 October in Riga. According to Mr. Igansky, during past few years the level of anti-Semitic and Islamophobic hate crimes have grown in Europe. Incidents against Jews usually increase after new outbreaks of conflict in Israel. But attacks on Muslims became more frequent after the terrorist attacks in Paris and Copenhagen. Mr Igansky stresses that large number of hate crimes remains unreported and very few perpetrators get sentenced. He explains it by difficulties for law enforcement agencies to collect evidence about such crimes. Latvijas Avize also interviewed other speakers of the conference – representative of the Polish Ministry of Interior Wirginia Prejs, representative of the Croation Police Academy Danijela Petkovič, and representative of the Dutch NGO “Article 1” Saskia van Bon, Netherlands. (30.10, 2.11)

In order to reach an agreement between all the governing coalition partners on adoption of an actions plan on accommodation and integration of asylum seekers and refugees in Latvia, the Union of Greens and Farmers revoked its proposal to lower requirements for state language proficiency for refugees to be able to occupy certain posts or professions. The National Union (NU) objected to this proposal. As reported, the NU also insisted on lowering of benefits for refugees and the governing coalition agreed to decrease it from EUR256 to EUR 139 per month. Vesti Segodnya