This is the request with which we are turning to the PETI, the European Parliament Petitions Committee. We are calling on all concerned residents of Latvia to sign up the petition we are proposing.
The Latvian society is drowning in the abyss of hate speach towards the Russian-speaking population of the country which has overwhelmed all major media channels and social networks. The main goal this hate campaign is trying to achieve is to dehumanize the Russians of Latvia by depriving us of all positive human qualities. Both columnists and commentators openly label their Russian-speaking compatriots as ”animals”, ”the fifth column” and ”the aggressive occupiers”.
At the same time the government has developed a set of initiatives aimed at destruction of the memorials to the Soviet army soldiers who liberated Latvia from the Nazi occupation in the II World War. More than 150 thousand Soviet soldiers perished in the fight for the liberation of Latvia. Almost every Russian-speaking family in Latvia as well as many Latvian families cherish the memory about the victims of that war and their ancestors who fought on the side of the anti-Hitler coalition. These initiatives also deprive people of a possibility to keep the memory of their ancestors.
We are turning to the European Parliament and the European Commission with the request to influence the authorities of the Republic of Latvia and ensure that they stop the ongoing full-scale campaign aimed at dehumanisation, repressions and marginalisation of the Russian-speaking citizens of Latvia.
You can add your signatures:
In our offices in
- Riga at 9 Rūpniecības iela every weekday from 10.00 till 18.00.
- Daugavpils at 17 Vienības iela on Saturday from 10.00 till 14.00.
- Jelgava at 48 Pasta iela on weekdays from 10.00 till 18.00
- Liepaja at 19/21 Klaipēdas iela (the fifth floor) every weekday from 11.00 till 19.00 and on Saturdays from 11.00 till 19.00
We are able to change a lot for the better if we are together.
The Text of the Petition.
On rough infringement by Latvian authorities the Council Framework Decision 2008/913/JHA of 28 November 2008 on combating certain forms and expressions of racism.
By signing this Petition we ask the European Parliament and the European Commission to influence authorities of Republic of Latvia to stop the full-scale campaign aiming for dehumanization, suppression and marginalization of Russian-speaking residents of Latvia.
Ethnic Russians make up 25% of the population of Latvia, the Russian-speaking linguistic minority makes up 37% of the country’s population. This part of the country’s population is of mixed origin-some represent the descendants of the citizens of the Republic of Latvia from the period 1918-1940, and some represent the labor migrants of the Soviet era. There are approximately 25% of Russian-speaking citizens among the voters of the country, since some Russian-speaking residents remain in a status close to the status of a stateless person and cannot vote. The share of citizens of Russian Federation in the population of Latvia is no more than 3% of the population, and they are not influenceable in the political life of the country.
At this moment the Russian minority of Latvia is on the verge of a catastrophe under the blows of the decisions taken by the ruling politicians, who represent exclusively the national majority. In recent months, the situation has deteriorated significantly. The war in Ukraine served as a signal for new persecution of the Russian-speaking citizens of Latvia.
Latvian society is sinking in the wave of hate speech in the mainstream media and social networks. The main aim of this campaign is to dehumanize the Russian population of Latvia, depriving them of all positive human qualities. Columnists and commentators openly compare Russian-speaking compatriots with “animals”, a “fifth column” and “aggressive occupiers”. One of the members of National Parliament (Saeima) of the ruling coalition party openly called for ethnic cleansing, aimed at increasing the proportion of ethnic Latvians in the country’s population. The signatures are collected on a petition for the expulsion of “disloyal citizens” from the country and deprivation of their Latvian citizenship, as well as on a petition for a ban on one of the political parties standing for the protection of the rights of Russian national minority.
In parallel, the Government has prepared a package of initiatives to destroy memorials dedicated to the soldiers of the Soviet army who liberated Latvia from Nazi occupation during World War II. About 150 thousand Soviet soldiers died in the battles for the liberation of Latvia. In almost every family of Russian-speaking Latvians and in many Latvian families, the memory of the victims of the war and the ancestors who fought on the side of the Anti-Hitler coalition is preserved. Through this initiative, people are deprived of the opportunity to preserve the memory of their families.
Appeals to the police and state security agencies regarding the use of hate speech and calls for violence against the Russian-speaking citizens of Latvia do not bring results. They consistently refuse to initiate criminal cases, even though the Criminal Law contains an article that provides for punishment for incitement to national, ethnic, and racial hatred.
Therefore, and on the base of Council Framework Decision 2008/913/JHA of 28 November 2008 on combating certain forms and expressions of racism and xenophobia by means of criminal law we are asking the PETI Committee to undertake a measures to stop growing xenophobia in Latvia and to protect Russian-speaking people from hate speech.
