| In Latvia, Knowledge Day became a day of political demonstrations In Latvia, the Day of Knowledge passed in the expected anxieties and demonstrated the depth of the split in Latvian society. Society, and along ethnic lines, was split by the school education reform that came into force.
Representatives of the Russian-speaking minority, fighting to preserve their cultural identity, gathered in Riga on the left bank of the Daugava at the monument to Soviet soldiers. By seven o'clock in the evening there were about 7 thousand people there, although the organizers expected up to 30 thousand participants. Among them were high school students who boycotted classes. The demonstrators demanded the repeal of amendments to the education law, according to which, from September 1, 2004, only 40% of subjects would be taught in Russian to high school students in Russian schools. And in three years, all final exams and test papers will be accepted only in Latvian.
Thousands of people also gathered on the other side of the Daugava for a concert. The fact is that the government cheated and, so that Knowledge Day did not turn into a day of Russian-speaking protest, organized a massive holiday concert with free admission. The Russian rock band Mumiy Troll, very popular among the Russian-speaking population of Latvia, was promised as the “main prize”. As a result, the concert brought together representatives of apolitical youth - both Latvian and Russian-speaking. However, even on this shore, the authorities feared fights between teenagers of different linguistic orientations.
The authorities mobilized law enforcement forces in advance: mounted police, police with dogs, and plainclothes police. Water cannons were prepared in case of large-scale riots. The authorities detained two schoolgirls yesterday, but quickly released them - at the festive lines they distributed leaflets in defense of Russian schools and invitations to a rally.
The leadership of Latvia is adamant - the education reform will be completed. The government justifies the education reform with the good intention of making Russian-speaking children “competitive,” because without knowledge of the state language, graduates of Russian schools will still have less chance of finding a job than their Latvian peers. However, according to recent sociological surveys, the reform is supported by only 15% of Russian-speaking schoolchildren and 13% of their parents. The largest demonstration of protest against the education reform took place in Riga on May 1 - then, according to various estimates, from 15 to 20 thousand people gathered.
Latvian school reform wants to be translated into Estonian
Yesterday, Riga's official policy of “Latvianization” of secondary schools was supported by the Estonian opposition. The radical right-wing party Fatherland Union called on the government of its republic to follow the example of Latvia and transfer education in all schools to the state language.
The party statement said Estonia must clarify “the basis of its education policy on the international stage in order to reduce the possibility of propaganda attacks from other states,” Interfax reported. “The Fatherland Union has demanded that all Estonian gymnasiums transfer their teaching to the Estonian language, but, unfortunately, the majority of local political forces do not support the implementation of this idea in the same way as it has been done in Latvia,” the document states. And the first deputy head of the Fatherland Union, Tõnis Lukas, said: “Estonia has no other way, since the number of Estonian speakers is constantly declining only due to mortality. The positions of the Russian language and culture are protected in one way or another in Russia. Our task is to protect the Estonian language in Estonia.” Danuta DEMBOVSKAYA, Riga |
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