Anti-Russian "Reforms" in Riga: Education Sector Discrimination Results in Mass Protests
Teachers of Riga schools are to take an exam to check if they speak Latvian well, LTV 7 TV channel reports. This is part of a reform. Teaching in Russian in Latvia has been prohibited. Given that the language is native to many, the capital has seen mass protests of thousands.
Lyudmila Kolyzhenko will tell us if they are fruitful.
3,000 people took to the streets of Riga with drums, posters, and umbrellas. Even bad weather didn't stop the rally of angry parents. They explain they aren't against the Latvian language, many people speak it well. People are against banning Russian.
Elena, Latvian resident: "No one here is against Latvian. This is the main lie spread by the Latvian media. I don't know how to make it clear to Latvians. If the declared goals were real, they should have started with providing adequate textbooks, teach us the Latvian language. None of this has been done".
The scandalous law passed through third reading in the legislature on March 22nd, ignoring the interests of almost half of the country's population. The Russian language should disappear from the school curriculum, except for lessons on Russian literature, and the Russian language. The gradual transition will begin on September 1, 2019, and finish in 2021. Parents believe it will mark the beginning of the collapse of the country's educational system. About 8,000 teachers have to change specialties as they don't know the state language well enough.
Valentina, Latvian resident: "Imagine, a Russian teacher teaching physics to a Russian student, in Latvian? What a nightmare".
Meanwhile, the nightmare is coming true. Language inspectors are working hard in Latvia, the people already call it "the language Gestapo". One can remain unemployed due to a poor comprehension of Latvian. Tram driver, waiter, cashier — even such vacancies at the state's unemployment office are inaccessible without knowledge Latvian.
Elya, Latvian resident: "I attend classes, and my husband would confirm that it's hard for me. I translate every word, I cry, it's very stressful. I'm on medication, going to the classes, and I'm 54".
The witch hunt is at full speed. The inspection has already caught 342 people. They had to pay heavy fines Besides, the inspection claims it will bring together all of the people living in Latvia.
Maris Baltins, head of the State Language Center: "Through language, we feel that we belong to a country. A common language unites us all. The goal isn't to make everyone the same, but to find common values, which is what a language is".
"Hands off Russian schools!"
It is more likely to entail mass emigration. The residents of Latvia believe that the new reform pushes Russian-speakers to the bottom. Now an initiative group is preparing a statement to the European Commission. This protest is not the last one. More rallies in Riga are scheduled for the beginning of May.
Lyudmila Kolyzhenko for Vesti.