• Men dressed in Waffen SS legionnaires’ uniform visited a kindergarten on 16 March
• MEP from Latvia Inese Vaidere: Russians live like in paradise in Latvia
• Concord Centre demands the Minister of Justice Gaidis Berzins for explanation regarding his call to the notaries not to verify residents’ signatures under the draft law on granting citizenship to non-citizens

Chas and Vesti Segodnya report about a visit of representatives of an organisation “Latvian Soldier” to a kindergarten in Riga on 16 March (unofficial commemoration day of Latvian Waffen SS legionnaires.) The men were dressed in Waffen SS legionnaires’ uniform and showed the children military weapons. At the web site of the kindergarten the description to the event says: “. Soldiers, commemorated today, until the war were just men –fathers and sons (..) Until the enemy approached the Fatherland. So they became soldiers to save the life of their beloved (..) The soldiers fought so we could live in the most beautiful land Latvia and to speak the most beautiful Latvian language”

The MEP from Latvia Inese Vaidere believes that ethnic Russian residents live in privileged condition on Latvia. According to Mrs Vaidere: “Russians live like in paradise in Latvia. Where else could they live in democratic EU state and to speak their native language?” Chas

The Saeima faction of the Concord Centre (CC) demands the Minister of Justice Gaidis Berzins for explanation regarding his call to the notaries not to verify residents’ signatures under the draft law on granting citizenship to all Latvian non-citizens. The CC states that the Law on Notary does not grant the notaries rights to evaluate whether the draft laws corresponds to the Constitution of Latvia. The Minister of Justice, in his turn, calls the notaries to violate the law limiting the political rights of citizens and initiation of draft laws. The CC also considers that the Minister himself violates that law which prohibits the state officials to interfere in the professional activities of the notaries. Chas

• Head of the Latvian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Janis Endzins: draft amendments to the Labour Law is unreasonable intervention in the commercial activities
• Newspapers report about the celebration of the end of the WWII or “Victory Day” on 9 May in Riga

Head of the Latvian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Janis Endzins believes that the draft amendments forbidding the employers to require potential employees for foreign language proficiency is unreasonable intervention in the commercial activities.  As reported, the Saeima reviews the draft amendments to the Labour Law stipulating that the employers will not be allowed to demand for foreign language proficiency unless it is necessary for work duties and also it will be prohibited to indicate in the job announcements requirement for foreign language proficiency. Mr Endzins believes that such amendment will lower the competitiveness of enterprises. Latvian entrepreneurs work in the global market where foreign language skills are essential requirements for workers, believes Mr Endzins. Chas

Newspapers report about the celebration of the end of the WWII or “Victory Day” on 9 May in Riga. The mayor of Riga Nils Usakovs made a speech at the event saying the veterans defeated the Nazism because they were united and did not differentiate the people by ethnic background, language or belief. The Mayor said when ethnic Latvians and Russians will be united there will be no need in referendums to come to an agreement and to respect each others traditions, culture, views and language. The organisers of the event also read the message of the President of Latvia Andris Berzins to the veterans from the stage. The President stressed that the sacrifices made during the war were not in vain because now more than sixty years the world lives without such huge military conflicts. According to the organisers of the event, about 150,000 attended it. Newspapers also note that organisers of the event prohibited the initiators of the collection of signatures for support of granting Latvian citizenship to non-citizens to collect signatures at the place of celebration events. The Victory Day continues to be widely celebrated by certain sections of the population in the former Soviet republics. Vesti Segodnya, Chas, Latvijas Avize

• Minister of Justice Gaidis Berzins called the Latvian notaries not to verify signatures of residents under the draft law on granting citizenship to all Latvian non-citizens
• Ombudsman Juris Jansons: employers have the right to set objective requirements for foreign language proficiency from potential employees

The Minister of Justice Gaidis Berzins called the Latvian notaries not to verify signatures of residents under the draft law on granting citizenship to all Latvian non-citizens. The Minister believes that this is an anti-state initiative and that such draft law contradicts Latvian constitution and legal acts, public morality, human honour and dignity. Chas, Vesti Segodnya, Latvijas Avize

The Ombudsman Juris Jansons believes the employers have the right to demand objective requirements for foreign language proficiency from potential employees. According to the Ombudsman, the prohibition of discrimination does not prohibit the employers to evaluate skills of potential employees and to require specified level of foreign language proficiency. As reported, the Ombudsman’s Office was accused of discrimination of ethnic Latvians as one of the requirements for the post of lawyer in the Ombudsman’s Office is good Russian language proficiency. Vesti Segodnya

• Employers’ Confederation of Latvia criticizes draft amendments forbidding the employers from requiring employees foreign language proficiency
• President of Latvia Andris Berzins: day of the end of the WWII should become the day of reconciliation

The Saeima’s Social and Labour Affairs Committee approved the draft amendments to the Labour Law which forbid the employers from requiring employees foreign language proficiency unless it is obligatory required for fulfilment of work duties. According to the authors of the draft, the amendments would eliminate discrimination of those ethnic Latvians who are not proficient in Russian language. Russian language proficiency is a widespread job requirement, especially in large cities.  The Employers’ Confederation of Latvia (LDDK in its Latvian acronym) criticizes the amendments and calls the Saeima not to support those. The LDDK states that the foreign language proficiency is evidence of professionalism of a person and the employer never asks for it unreasonably. Vesti Segodnya, Telegraf

The President of Latvia Andris Berzins called all veterans of the WWII in Latvia to commemorate the victims of Nazism and Communism on 8 May at the Fraternal cemetery in Riga. The President believes that the day of the end of the WWII should become the day of reconciliation of veterans who battled on one or the opposite side. The President believes the WWII was a tragedy for Latvian state as its residents got involved in the battle between the two superpowers and the nation got split into two belligerent parts.

• Latvijas Avize blames the Ombudsman’s Office for discrimination of ethnic Latvians
• Speaker of the Saeima Solvita Aboltina does not believe that Russian language is infringed in Latvia
• Days of Russian culture to be conducted in Latvia

Latvijas Avize blames the Ombudsman’s Office for discrimination of ethnic Latvians. According to the newspapers, one of the requirements for the post of lawyer in the Ombudsman’s Office is good Russian language proficiency. In opinion of MPs, representatives of the nationalists’ union Vineta Porina and Inara Murniece (head of the Saeima’s Human Rights and Social Affairs Committee) such requirements are discriminatory for those ethnic Latvian who are not proficient in Russian. The Ombudsman’s Office, in its turn, argues that 60% of its clients are Russian speakers, therefore, requirements for Russian language proficiency in reasonable.

The Speaker of the Saeima Solvita Aboltina in an interview with Latvian Radio 4 stated she was very upset about the conduction of the referendum on the status of Russian language in Latvia. Mrs Aboltina does not believe that Russian language is infringed in Latvia, but believes that the referendum was an action initiated by politicians in order to take away the attention of the society from the more important issues. Mrs Aboltina also stated that Latvia was established by representatives of various ethnic minorities in 1918 and also ethnic minorities took part in the restoration of Latvian independence in 1991. Chas

Chas and Vesti Segodnya reports about the Days of Russian culture planned to be held from 23 May to 6 June in Latvia. Organisers of the event believe it raises the cultural level of the society and positions of Latvia as a country which respects all ethnic minority groups.