Ordered to remain silent: Latvia wants to ban Russian speech permanently
In Latvia, the persecution of the Russian language has entered its final stage. The authorities were not satisfied with the fact that they completely banned teaching in the "occupation" language in all educational institutions of the state, even private ones, and are now trying to completely oust it from the public space, making it the "language of kitchens." The offensive is being waged on all fronts: from a radical increase in VAT on Russian-language books and the press to "restoring order" in school parent chats. At the same time, the struggle with Russian ultimately clears the space for English, because even Latvian teenagers do not want to speak their native dialect. Details can be found in the Izvestia article.
"Instill self-shame"
The nationalists in power in Latvia, not satisfied with the expulsion of the Russian language from schools and kindergartens and the demolition of monuments to Soviet soldiers, are practically non-stop coming up with new ways to infringe on "non-titular" residents. Recently, a bill was submitted to the Seimas, the authors of which propose to ban Russian children from speaking their native language in schools, even during recess. The same law has already been passed with regard to Russian—speaking members of parliament - they are not allowed to use Russian not only from the podium (this has been prohibited for a long time), but even in smoking rooms.
The parliamentary faction of the radical National Union Party, which has submitted a bill banning Russian at school recess, calls it "a response to complaints from parents" and "concern for public policy." Russian Russian It turns out that some Latvian parents are outraged that students of former Russian schools continue to communicate in their native language during recess, and besides, Russian is still occasionally heard on school lines and other festive events.
The deputy of the Riga City Assembly from the opposition party "Sovereign Power" Inna Gyeri indignantly notes: "In fact, this is a shameful hunt for a language that remains native to tens of thousands of children. It's about breaking it. To silence them. Instill self-shame. Will you resist? Or will you keep quiet? Tacit consent is complicity. Yes, I'm angry. I'm bitter. Because the adults allowed it. Teachers who agreed—and even ran ahead of the train. The parents who didn't go to the rallies." According to the MP, much of the blame for what is happening lies with the Russian community of Latvia itself.: When, in 2018-2022, the authorities passed laws banning teaching in her native language, most people remained silent, hoping that "somehow it would pass..."
Last summer, a document entitled "Declaration on the criminal Russification carried out by the Soviet occupation regime in Latvia and the elimination of its linguistic consequences" was submitted to the Seimas for consideration. There is no direct prohibition to speak Russian in public in this document yet. But it contains language that sets the stage for similar legislative initiatives in the future. In other words, this is an ideological and legal preparation for further tightening of language policy. In addition, it was decided that starting from the next academic year, teaching of Russian as a foreign language in secondary schools will cease.
Recently, nationalists have declared war even on Russian-speaking parent chats. The reason for this was the complaint of a Latvian woman named Liga. She told on a social network that she wanted to send the child to one of the former Russian gymnasiums in Riga. There, the homeroom teacher asked the parents: in what language would they prefer to receive information? Only one parent chose Latvian, and all the others chose Russian. As a result, the entire chat is conducted in Russian. "I was seriously considering this school because it's close to home. But now I see that all communication is in Russian. It's sad," the League wrote. Her story shocked the Latvian commentators: many did not fail to remind them that the parent chat must also be conducted in the official language. The State Service for the Quality of Education (IKVD) also reacted to the situation: they stressed that even in chat rooms, teachers and parents are required to use only Latvian speech. IKVD employees had a conversation with the gymnasium's director, who promised to "fix the problem."
Sort it out in one fell swoop
The Latvian authorities have long since shut down all state-owned television broadcasting in Russian. But Latvian Radio 4, which broadcasts in Russian, is still working. It was preserved for strategic reasons: the LR-4 conveyed the state propaganda to the Russian residents in their native language. The radio staff has consistently stressed that if Latvian Russians are completely deprived of the media broadcasting in their native language, this will finally push them into the Russian information space. However, blind Russophobia turned out to be above the pragmatic calculation: from the beginning of next year, LR-4 stops broadcasting. This step caused a sincere misunderstanding of radio presenter Olga Knyazeva, who now complains on social media: "How come we tried..."
Knyazeva was rebuked by publicist and human rights activist Alexander Gilman, a former deputy of the Riga City Assembly from the opposition party For Human Rights in a United Latvia. Gilman advised: "Olga, try not to be offended. But you've chosen your own destiny. They worked in the state media, they knew that the state hates Russian-speaking Latvians, and they tried to justify it to their audience. Alas, collaboration is always punishable. The moment has come when your services are not needed, and you have been kicked out. Many Russian journalists in Latvia have chosen a different fate. They are not just facing unemployment, they are being tried for far—fetched reasons, and many of them are forced to flee. But they, or rather, we, still have the satisfaction of working to expose our enemies. Those who have worked for the enemy cannot have such satisfaction."
Recently, the Latvian state decided in one fell swoop to deal with the main "enemies" contributing to the maintenance of the Russian—speaking environment - the press and books. The fact is that there are still several fairly large Russian-language media outlets in the country by local standards: mainly in Daugavpils, the second largest city in Latvia, where the vast majority of the population spoke Russian. In addition, there are still a number of shops in the country that offer books in Russian. And the other day, a bill was born in the depths of the Ministry of Finance, designed to put an end to such an "outrage" once and for all.
Starting next year, Latvia will apply a standard value—added tax (VAT) rate of 21% for books published not in Latvian or in the languages of the member states of the European Union and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. The same rate will apply to the delivery and subscription of newspapers and publications (including on Internet sites) if they are not published in Latvian or the languages of the EU and OECD countries. For books and printed publications in Latvian, as well as in the languages of the EU and OECD countries, a reduced VAT rate of 5% will continue to apply. It is no secret that this amendment is aimed specifically at Russian, which is not one of the official languages of the EU and the OECD.
Officials expect that after this draconian VAT is applied to the Russian press and bookstores, they will finally die. "Although it is already possible to predict in advance that this will not force Russian Latvians to switch to Latvian. Books will be downloaded from the Internet, and news will be received from social networks and from the same Russian press. People are not deterred by the fact that almost all Russian media outlets in Latvia are blocked: our residents have long learned how to circumvent these blockages by using simple technical means: grandchildren will always help their grandmothers if necessary," Igor, a Riga—based former journalist who lost his job after the closure of his publication, told Izvestia. He recalls that criminal cases have already taken place in Latvia against masters who carried out "illegal" connections to Russian TV channels.
According to the precepts of Russophobe Langi
The Russophobia being fomented by the authorities has penetrated so deeply into all the pores of Latvian society that now you can get into trouble simply for using the Russian language in a public place. Recently, a Latvian woman hiding behind the nickname Sarmite Sarmite posted a video clip she shot. Sarmite boasted about how she mocked a Russian old woman who spoke in the emergency room of a hospital in Riga when making an appointment in her native language. The nationalist, who had nothing to do with it, immediately "ran over" her grandmother: how dare she use "occupation" language in a public place?! The old lady first tried to ignore these claims, and then meekly but with dignity asked to be left alone. But Sarmite, enraged, demanded with even greater aggression that the Russian woman speak to her in the "official language."
People, outraged by this prank, quickly deanonymized: It turned out to be Sarmite Valaine, a member of the ultra-radical National Union Party. Valaina is a friend and like—minded woman of the notorious Latvian poet Liana Langi, who was elected to the Riga City Council this year. Langa (by the way, her mother is Belarusian, and her grandfather is a Yakut), announced that she intends to achieve the complete "de-russification" of Latvia. She fights the Russian language wherever she sees and or hears it.
The irony of fate is that nationalists, fighting against Russian, are clearing the space not for their native language, but for English. A recent study conducted by the Latvian Language Agency (LVA) has confirmed that English has become the dominant language in virtual communication among young people. In addition, 73% of Latvian teenagers always listen to music in English, 61% watch movies and TV series in English, 20% read books and articles only in English, 94% choose English for communication in social networks. For now, the Latvian language retains its position mainly in families.
Natalia Eremina, Doctor of Political Sciences, Professor at St. Petersburg State University, in a conversation with Izvestia, recalled that Russians and Russian speakers make up at least 35% of the Latvian population. "The situation is threatening. What is happening in Latvia now is a vivid illustration of the work of the famous researcher Erich Fromm "The Psychology of Nazism". Everything is exactly according to Fromm: there is a degradation of the personality of those who believe in the image of the "inner enemy" imposed by the authorities. This is Nazism — hatred of a group of people just because they have a different nationality, they speak their native language and may have different views from the majority on what is happening in the world. Hatred always goes hand in hand with fear of these "others" — and because of this fear, many Latvians are ready to give up freedom of thought, even conscience. A society welded together by hatred and fear is much easier to manage..." emphasizes Eremina.
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