Reuters: Russians take language test to avoid expulsion from Latvia
RIGA (Reuters) - In a Stalinist skyscraper which dominates the skyline of Latvia's capital, dozens of elderly Russians wait to take a basic Latvian language test as a proof of loyalty to a country where they have lived for decades.
Clutching red Russian passports, the participants, mostly women, read their notes for last minute revision, fearing they may be expelled from the Baltic country if they fail.
Speaking Russian instead of Latvian has not been a problem until now, but the war in Ukraine changed the picture. Last year's election campaign was dominated by questions of national identity and security concerns.
The government now demands a language test from the 20,000 people in the country holding Russian passports, mostly elderly and female, as the loyalty of Russian citizens is a worry, said Dimitrijs Trofimovs, state secretary at the Interior Ministry.
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Update: Latvia's Russian diaspora face tests or expulsion (Reuters)
WNU Editor: A quarter of the population is Russian speaking. Some have been living in the country for decades. This is ethnic cleansing, but the EU is silent, and with the exception of Reuters, the Western main-stream media is remaining silent.
16 comments:
Well, if they have been living there for decades, why are you implying they wont pass the test? Haven't they learned the countrys language yet? Who are these people? Cavemen??
Because Gorbachev was an idiot and didn't redraw the borders properly. Now someone else has to.
There are second generation people. Living here in Calgary who can’t speak French or English. So what are we doing wrong?
"Era of enlightenment, and equality'
Hans, I remember serving a search warrant on a Hmong household in the 2000's. The family had been in the US for 20 years. The 19 year old daughter was getting paid by the county as a care giver for the parents because they did not speak English. Most in the household were receiving some level of aid.
While the younger Hmong have assimilated language wise and in other ways, in many places they remain tight knit culturally holding Hmong only events.
Of course they will not kick out the elderly or anything like that. Were about to do that here in Sweden too, I hear.
Having language tests, not kicking seniors.. :P
Big Whup! If I want to become a German citizen, I have to learn German. When it comes to having more than one language Canada is exceptional. Another place might be The Philipines.
So cry those tears WNU. We know you are good for those crocodile tears.
Personally I believe in being bilingual. I think everything else being equal on a resume, it gives you an edge.
"On 19 June 2018, the Russian State Duma adopted a bill that made education in all languages but Russian optional, overruling previous laws by ethnic autonomies, and reducing instruction in minority languages to only two hours a week. This bill has been likened by some commentators, such as in Foreign Affairs, to a policy of Russification"
Cry WNU
Cry.
In another life you would be Democrat.
The Russian speakers were simply born where they were born. If the nationalists want to disenfranchise them they will vote to secede, in accordance with their UN protected rights to do so. The nationalists never think this far ahead though.
Very understandable by the Latvians since Russia justified invading Ukraine 9 years to protect ethnic Russians. Of course a mass expulsion could be used by Russia to intervene in Latvia if they gain a decisive victory over Ukraine and NATO.
Sorry to disappoint you all but ethnic cleansing works. Ask the American Indian.
Diversity is weakness and does not work unless you live in a VERY DISCIPLINED society, like Switzerland or Singapore.
Still a lot of Indians in America and with a lot of people having Indian ancestry although there are notorious fakers like Senator Elizabeth Warren (D)
Imagine if we did this test in England. Lol.
If I read the article correctly, this does not apply to Russian speaking Latvian citizens who do not hold Russian passports (around 450,000). It only applies to the much lower number of 20,000 or so that hold Russian passports. So it is incorrect to claim that the much larger number is at any threat. The only people who could be deported are people who are citizens of Russia "who gave up Latvian-issued documents". This falls far short of WNU Editor's claims of "ethnic cleansing".
I am not sure what "gave up Latvian-issued documents" means. Does this mean they are not Latvian citizens? When I research this issue online, I see articles that say Latvia does not allow citizens to hold dual Russian citizenship, so it seems these 20,000 deliberately chose to give up their Latvian citizenship in favor of Russian citizenship. The linked news article connects this decision with the benefits of receiving a Russian pension and visa-free travel to Russia and Belarus. Hope it was worth it to them.
The article also states that those 75 or older do not need to leave Latvia even if they fail the test. Not sure what number of these 20,000 that would apply to. And of course those who pass the language test will be able to stay as well. So the number would decline further. Only those under 75 and who fail will need to leave, and be given a reasonable amount of time to do so.
While I can sympathize with the plight of these people, other than the inconvenience of moving and needing to adjust to new neighbors and their support network, they won't be harmed. They'll still keep all of their Russian benefits. They'll just have to live in Russia.
Chris
It is NOT ethnic cleansing you fool Ed. It's identifying and weeding out, alive, the enemy. Nobody is being harmed, fool. Just because you're a ducking Russian you sympathise with the enemy. Glory to Ukraine. Kick the filthy orc invaders out of Ukraine and Canada too!
Slava Ukraine. Send them all back to their motherland panty.
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