March 21st is the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed it in 1966. Nowadays this day has got special significance for all Russian and Russian-speaking people all over the world. Due to tragic events in Ukraine, a wave of sentiments against Russian-speaking people has been formented in many countries. Both the UN and governments of many European countries have already openlly urge to stop harassment of Russian-speaking people and citizens of Russia.
According to information from various sources, most frequent facts of discrimination against Russians on national, linguistic, cultural, religious and other grounds occur at the rampant level: schoolchildren, students, people of culture, workers in various fields and ordinary civilians from different countries are exposed to it. People most frequently are subjected to insults and attacks, personal threats, damage to property, denial of service in shops, restaurants, medical facilities, discrimination in places of work and study.
Let us provide a number of examples:
⛔ In a number of countries it is children who are subjected to pressure. There have been cases when children were beaten up. There have been cases of insults, disregard for interests, aggressive attitude towards Russian-speaking children in schools and kindergartens (for example, in Sweden, France, Germany, the Netherlands).
In Czechia there have been cases when Russian students were denied the right to attend classes or take exapms. In one school in Berlin a teacher posted photos of Russian children on a so-called “board of shame” for being Russian. In the UK, a junior high school student was interrogated about the Russian president and questioned about Putin’s actions in Ukraine.
⛔ In France bookshops have been instructed to remove all Russian books from sale. They have been forced to send back all the books to their publishers. Including textbooks for those who study Russian.
⛔ In Germany and the Netherlands there have cases when people were fired from their jobs on the basis of their ethnicity.
⛔ In Washington Russian House restaurant was subjected to subjected to an attacks as well as Russian shops in Germany and the Netherlands.
⛔ Some restaurants announced that they are not going to serve Russians. For instance, a webpage of one restaurant in Portugal posted an announcement, “Russians are not served”. A restaurant in the town of Bietigheim, Germany, posted an announcemtn stating that visitors with Russian passports are not welcome. After a flurry of criticism against the restaurant, the message was removed. Similar messages appeared on the websites of some clinics and hospitals in Germany.
⛔ There have been many cases of desecration of memorials and monuments to Soviet soldiers have been reported on in various countries and cities, including in Latvia. In Greece the Ministry for Foreign Affairs publicly condemned such acts.
⛔ In Germany bakeries removed the word “Russian” from the name of the traditional German sweet pie “Russischer Zupfkuchen”.
⛔ There have been intentions to postpone lectures on Fyodor Dostoyevsky at the university of Milano-Bicocca. The attempt caused a very strong backlash and the university backtracked from their intention. The lectures on Fyodor Dostoyevsky are to be held. In Greece there has been an attenmpt to ban the music by Tchaikovsky. There was also a call by one of the Polish radio stations to ban music by Shostakovich and Tchaikovsky.
⛔ World-famous Russian conductor Valery Gergiev has been suspended from La Scala for refusing to state his position on the war in Ukraine. Also, the concerts of the Russian opera diva Anna Netrebko have been canceled.
⛔ There have been reports on assaults on far-distance car drivers from Russia and Belorossia and inflicting damage on their vehicles in Germany, Poland, Italy, etc.
⛔ In Latvia there have been a few acts of vandalism in relation to the monuments to Soviet soldiers. There have been also accidents with conflicts in schools, incidents in streets as well as creation of the Latvian version of ”Mirotvorets” database.
We ought to remind that any conflicts based on religion, race or ethnicity are unacceptable and punishable in accordance with the Criminal Code of Latvia:
⚠ Article 78 – formenting national, racial or ethnic hatred
⚠ Article 149.1 – violation of the ban on discrimination
If you come across an act of discrimination based on nationality, seek help!
Report violations to the State Police by calling 110 or 67014002, or email vpdd@vp.gov.lv. You can also contact the State Security Service directly by calling 67208964 or by writing to info@vdd.gov.lv. Be vigilant and avoid provocations!
