Segregated at Last
Oct. 11 (Bloomberg) — Russian President Vladimir Putin urged the European Union to crack down on the “glorification of Nazis” in Estonia and Latvia, two former Soviet republics that joined the bloc in 2004.
RIGA – I enjoy watching people in the Old Town — they’re so different from other parts of town. It is the only place in Riga where you could find people of various ethnic origins.
So I’m especially fond of people who wear a hammer and a sickle stickers on their clothes as they’re required by law.
They’re local Russians, you see.
It has been an official policy of this government since the dawn of our independence to separate residents into Latvians – the title race that deserves all the benefits of the Latvian state and are the core of this nation – and the non-Latvians.
Oftentimes, however, it is hard to tell who is who, so the government launched a hammer and a sickle sticker program (HSSP) for the non-ethnic Latvians to wear at all times. Those who are seen without the said sticker and upon the request turn out to be non-ethnic Latvians may end up being shot on the spot for the violation of the law.
The HSSP proved to be a success in our small but proud nation.
Non-Latvians live in segregated areas of town and are only allowed to visit the Old City every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday in the early morning hours — just in time of my walk.
Such are the rules in fascist Latvia, where portraits of the founding father of our nation, Adolphus Hitlers, are plastered on every corner. Children in this country learn to read using the text of “Mana Cina“, which has been translated into Latvian. The government thinks it’s good for the morale of the nation because it boosts national pride in the Only Race on Earth That Matters.
Those who disagree are immediately shot.
March 16 – a day we officially commemorate as the beginning of our struggle against the Soviets – is a national holiday that lasts a whole week, known as the Holy Week.
It’s the most celebrated of all holidays.
Tens of thousands of Latvian people march on the banks of the Daugava river every day during this Holy Week, signing praises to the current government.
Traditionally, during the march, some non-Latvians are hanged before a cheering crowd.
We also believe in the managed democracy. You can write anything you want as long as it goes along with the official stand of our great leader.
Those who disagree are immediately shot.
So next time you come to Latvia, you won’t have to hide your swastika and wear it under your clothes. You can wear it proudly for all to see that you belong to the Only Race on Earth That Matters.
October 16th, 2007 at 1.57
Ah, a typical day in fascist Latvia.
But seriously, the ‘s’ word — segregation — is intriguing. I hear often from critics of Estonia’s policies that it is trying to ‘assimilate’ the Russian minority rather than ‘integrate’ them.
But when I think about what some human rights organizations are advocating — basically a dual world within Estonia where schools, companies, and local governments function in Russian and serve only Russian speakers — then that reminds me of the good old Plessy vs. Ferguson days in the US — “separate but equal”.
You know as well as I do that when there is a majority, like in Estonia, that holds the money and the power, things will never be separate but equal. They will be separate and unequal, opening up Estonia to a whole new spectrum of international criticism.
One could argue that the current system, with its Soviet institutional leftovers, is inherently unequal and biased towards the Estonians. The Estonian schools have reformed. Have the Narva schools?
But if the government tries to tamper with those institutions, then they are engaged in a policy of ‘assimilation’. Let me ask anyone out there this, if Russian speakers are unable to express their opinion to the other 70 percent of the population, then aren’t they at a disadvantage and less powerful in society?
October 16th, 2007 at 13.36
Let me ask anyone out there this, if Russian speakers are unable to express their opinion to the other 70 percent of the population, then aren’t they at a disadvantage and less powerful in society?
Unable or unwilling? If they’re unable, then someone should enable them. If they’re unwilling, it seems, it’s their own problem and no one else’s. And it’s the question of who’s more unwilling: the title nation or the minority…