Latvia’s Unwanted Russians | ARTE.tv Documentary
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 18 ก.ย. 2024
- One third of the Latvian population is Russian, a hangover from the Soviet past. The Latvian and Russian speaking communities have been living side by side since independence in 1991 but this cohabitation is not always easy. The government has taken a tougher stance on the integration of Russian speakers since the war in Ukraine, with some now risking deportation.
Latvia’s Unwanted Russians | ARTE.tv Documentary
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Latvians do NOT have to integrate Russian settlers. Latvians are a small nation, 50% of which was destroyed by Russian occupiers, and now Latvians have to integrate these occupiers? Nightmare!
It's much better if they integrate the well-meaning Russians rather than alienating them. Latvia has a very small population it's their national interest to integrate or even assimilate those younger ethnic Russians who are willing to do that.
I am Swedish and as European and civilized citizen I will not ever travel to Baltics again because of their racistic way of treating their minorities. You blame the Russian speaking people who also are result of Soviet politics as Balls also claim to be. We must also remember that Soviet Union actually was allied with US, GB and France liberating the Baltics from Nazism and slaughtering of Jews. Do the Balts remember that Nazis forced them to kill Jews in the open streets and bury them in mass Graves? Or did the Latvians delibarately welcome the Nazis and want to extinguish the Jews and fight against Soviet Union? In EU minorities are protected and given support from for ex the goverment to maintain their linguistics and human rights like in my country and my parents country, Finland where the minority language Swedish spoken by only 5% as mother tongue. Should we start to persecute our fellows of having another mother tongue and talk about that Swedes occupied Finland and forbade Finns to develop in society as Finnish never was accepted nor had any status? And this was during 700 years!!!! I also think Baltics shouldn't even be a part of EU as they don't share the real European values like respect for minorities. How can a state not give citizenship to it's own people who also are victims of the circumstances in history? Insane and inhumane. Pure apartheid politics which I spit on!!!! But obviously it's seemingly ok that Estonians and Latvians come to the Nordic countries and steal works and behave bad and take advantage of our welfare system and then discriminate their own weaker neighbors in their own country. We should rather put sanctions on them or perhaps Russian control over the region would solve the issue.😮😂😊
Settlers?
@@user-nu3cr9kn8f yeah, look at population changes for example under ocupation, like year 1989. KGB documents about replacing Latvians with Russians also are open for long time ago.
@@solinvictus6587 this (efforts of integration) as been done for 30+ years, very generously - and indeedd many russians have integrated well. however there is a certain isolated or hostile minority who have been hostile from sovioet times, feeling entitled, boorish and bitter. they have to take Latvian legislation seriously.
I remember as youth I wanted in Railway station to take a ticket to my country's capital Tallinn and Russian woman refused to sell that to me, because I asked in my mother language. She said to me: "At first you must study how to speak as human's do (speak Russian) and then you can come and ask. It was in 1980-th in my own country Estonia. If people are refusing to study and speak your language, to honor your culture and customs, and are openly hostile toward your free nation and independent state - how you will "integrate" them? Pleading on your knees gives a result?
Yeah, that "govorite po tshelovetsheski" (speak as a human) was a standard. But I was arrested in Tallinn as a 8 years old (the former KGB boss Andropov was in power, luckily not for long) simply as a policeman (militsiya) asked me a question and I didn't understand him.
Thank you for sharing
Yes , Russians was official language ,and she right .....naw ,you can speak your language......you are 👿👿nazi state naw !
Yeah, same experience in Kazakhstan in the 1980s. You enter a bus in Almaty, and you speak Kazakh, and you will probably hear something along these lines: "It's not your village. It's a cultured place. Speak Russian like the normal humans do".
its shocking and unchristain that they are thinking to deport a grandmother, so much for human rights,
The daughter asks "Is she a threat?" about Tamara. While a minute before that she was shown worrying if the grandson learns enough russian and whether he will not accidently becoma loyal to Latvia... Yes, she is a threat.
exactly my thoughts!
It is indeed her fault. Thirty years and she has not learnt the language is a joke
And I will say more - she watches russian propoganda tv and is afraid to disclose, how she voted this spring. I'm sure she voted for putin. This is the main reason, why such people are not welcome in Latvia!
In many Western countries immigrants who are much longer here also don't speak the language of the country. Shall we send them also back to their country?
You know at least 25% of the Latvians speak Russian at home? It is just the second language, just as in other countries more languages are used.
Playing the victim, and is still a Putin supporter.
How can someone live almost 50 years in a country and don't speak the natives language?.... These people still have a disgusting colonisation mindset.
It is explained in the film you retard. The woman worked in a factory where everyone spoke Russian. You absolute mug.
If you're referring to the first lady, how is she a coloniser? Her husband speaks Russian and so does the rest of her family, and what benefit is there for a pensioner to learn a language this late in life???
Her right to family life should supercede anything.
@@bishbashbosh3863She came there, aged 21. Russian and Latvian are about as close as English and French….
@@bishbashbosh3863 She did not arrive in Latvia as a pensioner, so your argument about age being a barrier to learning the language is invalid. We can speculate about why she decided that, upon arriving in a foreign country where people speak a completely different language, she thought she wouldn’t need to know it. And thirdly, regardless of what language her family speaks, she does not live in an isolated world. She goes to the store, the post office, the bank... and in her younger years, she was even more active in public life. And she did all this based on the assumption that Latvians, like obedient servants, would learn the colonizer's language. So yes, she is a colonist, and the fact that she has lived her entire life here at the expense of Latvians-because without Latvians who understand the colonizer’s language, Russian-she couldn’t even go to the doctor or buy bread at the store.
A narrow minded person and coloniser mindset. Ruskies for centuries were claiming that only their speech (which is btw a dialect of BulgarianXD) is a "language of higher culture" (of course it's a bull..it) and all languages of countries they colonised are some "peasant speeches". I can bet that's why she didn't learn it.
language is not important
look at the mentality of this Tamara
this is called vata mentality
and he supports putin, who would like to reoccupy Latvia
THI IS THE REAL PROBLEM
Putin is 👑
@@karolinailic2868 He might be the tsar of your slave soul, for rest of the cultured world he's the Hitler.
@@karolinailic2868 It's not Putin. It's Russia's nature. If there was no Putin, they would be Stalin, Lenin - basically use a random russian name,
@@karolinailic2868 putin is king🤡🤡
but russian pensioners get 190 euros🤣🤣
thats a perfect example, how russian mentality works🤪😜🤪🤯🤯🤯🤯
It's her fault. Latvia has been away from the Soviet Union for over 30 yrs and she hasn't learned any Latvian language ? Then you forget to register to take the test again ? That's on her. Plus it doesn't help she still supports Putin, and his policies.
They weren't told to learn Latvian 30 yrs ago, you retard.
I wish your parents will be deported from the country they spent their entire life living in. And then I'll see you talking about following the rules.
I fully agree with you. Those Russians were illegally settled by the Soviet government. My country, Hungary, also encountered similar destruction from the Russians during the Cold War.
@@alfoldmapping5504 I served in the US Army during the Cold war 1980s. Was stationed in Germany to guard the boarders from the Red Army back in the day. Russians were brutal, invaders back then, and decades later they're still at it. I've seen the Russian world , and it sucks ! Glory to Ukraine 🇺🇦🇺🇸☘️
And why she took the russian citizenship? She became a foreigner by her decision.
30+ years after collapse of USSR and de-occupation of Latvia were not enough to learn local language? Then better to go home, to russia.
@@kristine2916 right!!
Latvia is correct,they are a country now after Soviet Union occupation,they have the right to defend your culture,your language etc,if the Russians want live there,they must have to learn the Latvian language,if they don't like the idea,come back to Russia,good job Latvia...🇺🇲🇱🇻
Yeah Yankee doodle dandy. Let's see how well American freedom works for the EU. They've opened pandora's box. 😂😂😂 Some of us have seen what America represents, fascism which you call freedom. When their freedoms get eroded one by one by US corporations, we'll see who has the last laugh.
@@louvendran7273 Another Russophile big mouth clown
Brainwashed retard you are
@@andersonsantucci9325 so you’ll take that stand against all the people that come to America and never learn the language and aren’t forced to learn it. And if you try to make them assimilate a tiny bit you will be called a racist or fascist. The hypocrisy is real!!!!
I have my full support to Latvia from Hungary. My country also experienced a lot of destruction from the Russians.
🇭🇺❤🇱🇻
“We follow the law” she said. Yeh, pirate TV decoder isn’t criminal?
She is crying a tears while continuing do criminals.
That is all we need to know about people like her.
And wants to stay in the “enemy’s” country. People like her are the weirdest bunch of people out there, I swear.
I'm from Hungary and I can fully understand the situation of Latvia. My country also experienced lots of destruction and suffering from the Russians, for example in 1849 and during the 2nd World War. Not to mention 1956, when the Soviets literally killed thousands of Hungarians, when we rebelled against communism and wanted to achieve democracy. The Russians opressed us for decades, made our country socialist and although we weren't got annexed, the Hungarians had to learn Russian a compulsory language. I can't even imagine, what horrible crimes did the Russians against Latvia and in the other 2 Baltic states, Lithuania and Estonia. Not only did the Russians murder thousands of Estonians, Latvians and Lithuanians, but they also put there many Russians and wanted to achieve full Russification in the Baltics. The Latvians were also forced to learn Russian from a very young age.
So I literally can't understand those Russians, who are living in Latvia and doesn't learn Latvian language and integrate into the Latvian society - and by the way, they were illegally resettled there by the Soviet regime, without any legal procedures.
Latvia - along with Lithuania and Estonia - shows the best example to the world in the treatment of Russian and Soviet monuments. Tearing them down, destroying and wiping them out is the only normal reaction, someone can take against those monuments, because they represent nothing, but darkness, opression and the destruction of human life.
I have my full love and support to Latvia and to the Latvian people from Hungary! 🇭🇺❤🇱🇻
look who's speaking lol ethnic Hungarians in Ukraine cannot speak proper Ukrainian, ethnic Hungarians cannot speak proper Slovakian in Slovakia, ethnic Hungarians in Serbia are also terrible in Serbian. Not to mention ethnic Hungarians in Romania who also cannot speak proper Romanian. Your nation sucks at languages even though your country got smaller in 1918.
Agree with every word. Shame you have a President who worships Putin
@@jontalbot1 What do you mean by that?
Hungary's president, Tamás Sulyok condemned the Russian agression and supports the teritorrial integrity of Ukraine.
@@alfoldmapping5504 Sorry Orban. I imagine you knew that
@@jontalbot1 Orban is the Prime Minister of Hungary.
Since the war, Hungary declared support for the teritorrial sovereignity of Ukraine and gives medical military aid for the Ukrainian army. We also sanctioned Russia countless times and because of that, Russia blacklisted Hungary as a hostile, unfriendly country.
Orban is not pro-Russian, he is neutral. He also uses the events of the war to make propaganda for himself, that he is the only one, who can maintain ,,peace" and also keeps his supporters under a war physochis. But his main goal is to make benefits for himself as he is insanely corrupt.
Never learned Latvian although she lived here for over 46 years.
😂
Bye, bye, the daughter of a colonizer! We'll never miss you!
very well said 💯
Crazy isn't it???? These people absolute have no moral and empathy! And they wonder why they are not welcomed in many Eastern European countries.
You both are underage retards. I hoe you'll get smarter closer to your 30s when you understand the concept of family, healthcare, paying taxes etc.
I have been thinking the same. They were also settled there illegally by the Soviet regime. No wonder, why the Baltics have PTSD against Russia. My country, Hungary, also suffered a lot from Russian destruction.
Fun fact - the language test that has to be passed is level A2. For reference, it's essentially a very low level (only 1 above the lowest, A1). With level A2 you can do only the barebone basics like asking for bread in the shop or directions to the train station. Tamara, 30+ years and you can't learn that? This begs the question - Why are we kicking you out only now?
Weren't Latvians forced to learn Russian under Soviet occupation? well......learn Latvian, or would they rather be forced like the Soviets did to Latvians in their OWN country.
Ye, the thing is USSR didn't try to be a European democracy. Latvia is a better place, that's why they should be more humane rather than let their inferiority complex and desire for revenge to make poor ladies like Tamara to abandon her life.
Latvians preserved their language and culture and never assimilated or forced to become Russian. Assimilation was idea of Empire, Soviet Union encouraged and funded national cultures. Lenin wanted to have Union of states which at later state could have been Global Socialist utopia. So songs, language ,dance literature was funded preserved and cherished. Many older Latvians nerve spoke Russian as there was no pressure to learn it. Also quite a few them were fully supporting communism
@@Tgshgkgh XD please everybody knows it's not true. Russia and all of its previous forms were brutally colonising other nations and telling them that Russian is the language of "higher culture" (a total bulls*tXD) an that their mother tongues are the "peasant speech". It happened all over Ru colonies from Far East to Ukraine and Baltic Sates. And in many cases if tried preserve your culture, traditions, language etc you were sent to concentration camps in Siberia or genocided like e.g. Ukrainians during the Great Famine. It's a well known fact so stop spreading this bullish*t!!!
@@victora7008 no, we shouldn't. She lives in Latvia but supports Putin. The program she watches on TV tells me everything and we should not tolerate people who support war whatever age they are. We are better place because of us, Latvian citizens, not because of her and people like her.
@@Tgshgkgh lies. There WAS a pressure. Ask me how I know. I am 55 years old Latvian, born under soviet occupation. And do not talk shit about Lenin. We were occupied in 1940 after 20 years of independency when this bastard was long dead.
How can you live for decades in a country, and not take the few admin hours it takes to get citizenship, and then complain? I care about my country of adoption and I can tell you citizenship is the number one thing on my mind
Welcome to Eastern European countries, where Russian imperialists behaved accordingly and whose history version about the way things are in terms of history in former USSR states, their languages, mindset and tradition is being told to the Westerners and to the entire world, who, unfortunately, in their turn justify in many cases the imperialism of Russian cause "Russia has an almighty culture and language" ...and again repeating the soaked in Russian propaganda. Thank goodness things are changing and we are not being shut up anymore. Africa, South America and Eastern Europe understand each other very well in terms of who their oppressors are and who had the right to tell their story. Not speaking the language of the country is a matter of imperialism or tourism.
Yes, but they are forcing grandmas to learn a language.... It's so stupid.
@@utkalou It's harsh yes, but if all services and such are *only* going to be in Latvian from then forth... it's for their own benefit. The state/country could get an interpreter, but that's not how Latvia, that was occupied by the USSR, chooses to proceed. 🤷♂
@@utkalou how old do you think she was 30 years ago??
@@utkalou her president is forcing old people and young people to leave their homes, because of bombs
she was born in Latvia and do not speak or read good Latvian language. let that sink in,... what does it say about her loyalties?
she want born in Latvia, you cretin
She was born in the Soviet Union where Russian was the official language. What was she supposed to do? Let THAT sink in.
@@Michael-it6gb So were a lot of other people, but they DID LEARN. Let that sink in.
@@henrikmanitski1061 And your point is??
@@henrikmanitski1061 she lives on land that has been Russian for a long time, its just the USSR that redraw maps in total stupidity, in all logic her region should have joined Russia.
I think Katya is wrong: her mother is a threat. She watches russian tv and believes all that she sees and hears there. How could latvians be sure that at some point she will not act based on these believes. And listen to her conversation with her grandson. She is clearly a bad influence for him. It is sad that an elderly woman has to leave the country, where she lived for so many years. Yet, she doesn't feel latvian - she is still part of russia. So, it is right in this way that she will be deported to the country, a citizen of which she feels herself.
It would be interesting to see a French film like this, about an old woman in France who came to France from Germany in 1944, never learned and doesn't speak French, and complains that the laws impose language requirements and others don't speak German. What would be the emphasis in the French case?
It's 30 years since Latvia gained its independence. The fact that those people didn't manage to learn a language at A2 level (basic, conversational), it's outrageous! this test is A2 level! it's not B, it's not C, it's just freaking A2!!! I managed to learn a new language (from totally diff language family than my mother tongue) to A2 level in ca 2-3 months by attending intensive Cours 4 times per week, 2-3 hours per day! Those people are clowns.
Not GAINED , but Restored or Regained what we lost in 1940 .
Outrageous? No, it just speaks about their inner motivation to learn the language.
Those who want to learn a language, seek ways to learn it. Those who don't want to learn the language, seek excuses not to.
Russians in Latvia has always been like that, some of them called Latvian language a dog language, they didnt learn language and didnt care, but some fault of this is in our hands as Latvians too, because as soon as russian started to speak with Latvian, Latvians speaked to them back in russian, so why learn a language. After university it was hard to find a job for me as a Latvian, because i didn speak russian, i understand most of what they said, but couldnt speak, and make sentences, only basic words. But still, did few jobs, and learned russian language on the streets, in a few years by just listening and interacting with them, so i just dont understand how those russian speaking people didnt learn Latvian language in 30 years, its just insane, how arrogant or stupid people have to be to not learn language in a 30 years.
Living in Latvia and never learned a language. Seriously
I am not sorry for what she is going through
Latvia was part of the Soviet Union and Russian was the official language of that country. That country no longer exists. You people make no damn sense. Learn history.
@@Michael-it6gb learn the language and the rules of the place you live in. Oop. Am I making too much sense or what?
@@ossyx this lady is 65 years old. Have a little bit of rational thinking. This moronic law only came recently.
@@Michael-it6gbMoronic - is living in a sovereign country thinking its still part of USSR. 16 or 65, learn the language, or go to ansestral lands.
@@MrMAXZ888 maybe its her ancestral land, there has always been a Russian minority in parts of Latvia.
Litva je postala država prije 30 g. 30 godina joj nije palo na pamet promjeniti pasoš! Jer je mislila da če se Rusi vratiti! E, neće!
Imagine being so greedy for money that you apply for Russian citizenship to get an early pension, and then screwing yourself over! 😆
Im so happy Estonia and Lithuania has been able to deal with this shit quite well. I wish my brothers and sisters in Latvia can manage to work together in case shit hits the fan. We are truly looking at you brailukai...
Estonia isn't doing nothing, just ignoring the problem which will get worse and worse lmao
The girls speaks amazing Englsih even better than Germans and French!
The French don't come remotely close to speaking "amazing English". Try comparing them to Dutchies for example 😄
But I agree with you. Their accents sound too American for my personal liking, but they certainly have a very impressive level.
It’s a consequence of Latvians not learning Russian anymore. They don’t learn it or use it, so their information comes entirely from Western sources and is in English.
"EVEN better than German and French" ..... Do you still think Germans and French have better education than Eastern Europeans?
@@GGBBGGBB940 average Latvian knows 3 languages, Latvian, English and Russian. It's default in schools to learn 2 foreign languages.
I sort of felt for her, but as her story unfolded it's clear she's quietly being stubborn. She needs to practice the language, take classes, work harder at it. But I suspect she's being passively resistant and trying to call the waaaambulance (Grandma being deported). Pull your head in, do the work, or pack your bags.
Absolutely don't agree with the doughter of Tamara. How she can say, that her mother is loyal to Latvia, if she watches russian propoganda tv and is afraid to disclose, how she voted this spring. I'm sure she voted for putin. This is nonsense!
Emilija 6:19 speaks English with superb fluency. Of course as a student still in her teens she would have learnt English almost from day one of school. But she has a super confidence with barely a hint of accent. I don't know her ambitions but she could easily teach English.
Can you imagine people living in France for 60 years who can not speak french?? Can you imagine germans living in Germany for 60 years and not speaking german??
not everything is, or has to be, a nation-state. if 1/3 of your population is of a specific ethnicity, then you are a multi-ethnic nation
Quand la fille (visiblement assez énervée) de Tamara a demandé si sa mère est un traitre, il a fallu demander quel est son point de vue sur la guerre en Ukraine. La réponse est là Cela aurait été intéressant d’entendre la réponse de Tamara et de sa fille.
Not part of the USSR anymore
Yes, countries come & go, no love for countries anymore! People should live with Religion and be united by Religions, not countries;
Croatia, knowledge of the language is not a requirement for citizenship. But it is considered normal that you will learn it over time. Croatian is a very difficult language. National minorities in Croatia, Hungarians, Italians, Germans (me), Romanians, Slovaks, Slovenians, Czechs, Macedonians, Ruthenians, Ukrainians... have the right to use their language in local self-government (if possible) and on to the court. There are also schools in the languages of national minorities, but they also teach Croatian. Even today, when foreign workers come (Nepal, India, Arabs, Philippines...) they try to learn Croatian. And that's normal. Living somewhere for 20-40 years and not knowing the language is not normal?
The main issue is that this specific group of Russians expects Latvians to continue speaking Russian, as they did (were forced) during the Soviet occupation. Correct me if I'm wrong, but in Croatia, no matter what languages people speak, they don’t demand Croatians speak in their languages. For instance, if a Hungarian and a Croatian meet, the conversation will be in Croatian, not the other way around. We have other minorities here, too-both native and non-native. There’s no problem with them; they use their own languages as they like but speak Latvian with Latvians and don’t expect Latvians to learn their languages.
You mentioned every minority in Croatia except for the largest national minority, which is the Serbs. How did that happen to you?
Maybe because they speak same language?Serbo-croatian-montegerin-Bosnian perhaps 😂long live JjB Tito😂😂
@@GGBBGGBB940 Exactly right. There is a world of difference between minority languages and a language of occupation.
@@zimskasalamabg Srbi u Hrvatskoj govore Hrvatski. A večina srba u Hrvatskoj dolazi iz BiH. Pa,im je Hrvatski materinji jezik,ono što vi zovete "srpski zapadne varijante".
She had 3 years to prepare for the language test. Then she failed. Then she forgot to register for another test.
The big issue is Latvian culture, and politeness, especially with post soviet people. If in group of let's say 5 people 1 speaks Russian, sadly most Latvians, especially the older generation will switch to Russian. New generation less, but even I have neighbors who speak barely any Latvian, of course I will switch to Russian out of respect. Thats why we have so many people speaking barely any Latvian. Still many Russians are trying to speak Latvian and new changes for the most part I think is for the better. Deportation might not be best course though, I think there should be some last chance for these people still.
not anymore
It's neither "politness" neither "respect". It's a practice that was imposed during the Soviet occupation and has become so ingrained in Soviet-era Latvians that it is now a deeply entrenched habit.
Part of heeling that soviet trauma is that we need to stop blaming Latvians for Russians in Latvia not knowing the state language. Russians use this as an excuse. On one hand, they insist on speaking Russian and make a drama if it’s not accommodated. On the other hand, they blame Latvians for speaking Russian, using it as a reason for not learning Latvian. This is blatant hypocrisy and Tamara is literaly a case in point. She went to the doctor, who said she would speak in Latvian, but she insisted on speaking Russian instead. At the same time, she claimed that another doctor 'apologized for not speaking Latvian with her earlier.' This is hypocrisy 101. Younger Latvians don’t even learn Russian, and most people around 30 years old intentionally avoid using it. You should also break this so-called habit to prevent it from being used as an excuse by others.
As for deportations, they chose to be Russian citizens; nobody forced them. There are reasons why only she had to take the test and not anyone else in her family. There have already been second and third chances given. To my knowledge, only about 60 people have received deportation orders. These are individuals who completely ignored the law, didn’t respond to letters, and one person was deported for working with the Russian FSB. No one else has been deported.
Really? I thought it was an issue with my Kazakh people only. But we the Kazakhs were drilled to speak only Russian to the Russian occupiers for more than a century. Turns out your 50 years was more than enough for the Latvians too...
@@traumvonhaiti it's the same in all post soviet countries, look at todays belarus, if you speak belarusian you are now considered as some kind of revolutionist
I am not Russian or Latvian and have no time for the colonialist Russian mindset. But l am 69 and know it is virtually impossible to learn another language later in life. It’s a simple matter of not being able to remember new words.
You do understand that she heard that language for 30 years.
@@tiapina7048 Maybe but you will find this yourself as you get older. It started with me in my mid 50s, mostly names. I like to improve my English vocabulary ( native speaker) but l find it almost impossible to retain new words. This is normal, incidentally. By far the best time to learn a language is childhood- we are programmed to it and have no problem learning multiple languages
I am 60 years old and I am learning Irish. It is harder than when I was in my 20s or 30s, but it's not impossible. And A2 standard isn't exactly difficult. This isn't the level required for Latvian citizenship, it's being able to complete rudimentary quotidian tasks in the target language. I've been studying Irish part time for 3 years and am nearly at A2 without access to any local instruction here in New Zealand. I work full-time: were I able to study more intensely in my retirement, I would pick it up even faster. This woman is avoiding the language even now and hasn't even bothered to reschedule the exam.
You should look up Steve Kaufmann.
@@j0hnegan One person does not represent a population
I have no sympathy for this people . 40 years in a country and they did not learn country language ? ! 👎😡
Before nationalists came to power, I don't think there was this strange idea that there had to be one single language as THE language. Latvian and Russian are both commonly spoken languages in Latvia. Latvian being the only legitimate one is a politically enforced viewpoint
Russians go to Russia 🇷🇺 Latvia 🇱🇻 belongs to 🇱🇻 Latvia 🇱🇻!
We don't need an ethnostate in the EU.
Expulsion not deportation! It's normal thing for countries, to expel some foreigners, who do not obser state laws.
Tamara: if you ❤ ruZZia so much, go live there 👋
Wait a minute! She hasn't been able to learn Latvian in 30 years? I'm in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and I'd love to learn Latvian here! If you know anyone who can help, please let me know.
The irony is that most Ukrainian refugees speak Russian and the Ukranian newcomers to Latvia will definitely rely on Russian and not Latvian to get around the country (for obvious reasons). So the population of those who speak Russian and no Latvian will increase and not decrease.
Ukrainians speak Latvian more and more and they integrate their kids in Latvian schools.
I work with youngsters due some art projects, also-Ukrainians ,and I feel blessed because I can see they show respect to our language.
And I was shocked when russian speaking Ukrainian told me- in fluent Latvian, that one year is enough to learn latvian language. At least so much, to don’t e ashamed while being here- in Latvia.
that's why here will be 0 information in Russian
Until Putin withdraws his troops from Ukraine, Tamara and the rest of the Russians living in Latvia will be safer in Russia.
Perhaps Tamara should write a letter to Putin and him to help her.
It is not possible, because Tamara is still supporting Putin - she is watching russian TV propoganda
@@senior_java she can watch whatever she wants without any repercussions. you literally have no arguments, dude.
@@Michael-it6gb Same as Germans during nazi rule, right?
I was living for only 1 year abroad and before that for 3 years I had been learning foreign language. She has been living for 46 years in Latvia and she is not able to pass the exam for A2 level? How bizzare.
30 years since Soviet times and Latvian independence. If she can't and doesn't want to learn Latvian, what is she doing there? France would be less tolerant. Why not make a programme about themselves?
France completely wiped out Occitan, and many other languages. This is not something we should condone.
I lost any sympathy for Tamara after she expressed her support for putin and russian imperialism.
i have even less sympathy for the Latvian girl cheering on a far-right programme of expelling the Russian minority. It's not because we disagree with someone politically (and I do, I don't like putin) that we have to encourage them being treated like garbage. Matter of fact, that's exactly what drives these people to support Putin and anti-Latvian sentiment even more.
I was in Riga shortly this summer. Almost never heard as much Russian around there as then. I definitely support the Baltics, but that speaking Russian would be "frowned upon" sounds like a joke, as it is the majority language (= the language you mostly hear) in Riga and some other places. Hallo ARTE??😮
I mean she’s lived there for 44 years for heavens sake. There has to be some common sense for elderly folks. They won’t be around much longer so make a special exemption for them. Long live 🇺🇦
@@user-ks2uo3qh7i Voting for Putin is not an argument to throw people out. You already posted on several comments on this video, repeating the same nonsense.
Yes, Latvia has cared about this issue much too late. Nevertheless, everybody gets fed up with this never ending VICTIM attitude of many Russians (in the RF and outside). Its never their fault, its never their responsibilty.
boo hoo arent these consequences of her action ( or rather inactions) that have put her in this position.
Es wäre interessant, einen französischen Film wie diesen zu sehen, in dem es um eine alte Frau in Frankreich geht, die 1944 aus Deutschland nach Frankreich kam, nie Französisch gelernt hat und nicht spricht und sich darüber beklagt, dass die Sprachanforderungen gesetzlich vorgeschrieben sind und dass andere nicht Deutsch sprechen. Worin läge der Schwerpunkt in einem französischen Fall?
I support Latvia and Latvian 100%, though tend to think sending a penioner to Russia is unnecessary and bad optics. The next big challenge to Latvian will be people who speak English (maybe from India, or Romania, or Sweden, or Africa, not just UK or USA) who don't bother learning Latvian and turn every conversation to one in English. They create a situation where Latvians and others will start conversations in English as they don't expect people to speak Latvian, and, somehow think it's "rude" to "insist" on speaking Latvian. It seems that this is already the case in Riga.
It is difficult for people who are the bearers of a great culture and language to suppress their pride and become Latvians.
What "great" culture and language?
Same thing in norhern ireland
???
Great video!
The grandmother struggling with the Latvian language - although she has been living in Latvia for decades reminds me of some inhabitants of Flanders (Belgium) who have lived there most of their lives but never bothered learning Dutch (flemish).
Curtailing her pension rights because of her lack of language skills is quite pathetic.
BTW, the Swedish gov. started offering 34k$ to each foreigner for leaving Sweden. That's a serious reversal of the "open border policy".
Its wasnt occupation but lithuanians and other were killed if confronted the russia makes me angry 😤
Tamara dont now or wont now the real hestory of Soviet.How is this liberation if you are liberated by thows ho was allay of Nazi Germany and all this contrys was after 45 again liberate by Soviet tanks.If Nazis didnt atack Soviet then Soviet will together with fašist Italji together allays in w.w2
Il serait intéressant de voir un film français de ce type sur une vieille dame qui est arrivée d'Allemagne en France en 1944, qui n'a jamais appris le français et ne le parle pas, et qui se plaint que les exigences linguistiques sont imposées par la loi et que les autres ne parlent pas l'allemand. Quel serait l'accent mis sur le cas français ?
sounds a lot like English and French Canada. francophones aren't the majority but a large minority you can't ignore
03:20 Soviet time ended 1991 = 33 years go and she do not wnt even dry that 33 years time nothing... becuse she wnt live like USSR.
Do you understand the difference between a war and a conflict a war with someone invaded a country and and kill people
When I am in Riga in shops hotels or restaurants, I hear most of the staff speaking Russian with each other. Russian is the most used language around Riga and in the south. The language says nothing about your political sympathy. In many countries more languages are used and allowd.
And two more things:
Many refugees from Ukraine also don't learn Latvian. They can live their life their normally using Russian what they often also speak.
People from the different Baltic countries don't understand each other. So Russian is then the Lingua Franca for them to communicate.
@@henkmol9169 only because of russification in soviet union, and thank god we are shaking that sht off of us.
And if there us Ukrainian refugees than can learn Latvian in 6 months i dont see why we sould give ppl living 30 years here a pass.
@@henkmol9169 and stop spreading lies abkut russian being a most used language.
@@VilkatisJanis i just came back again. In several parts latvian is the commin language, but walking on the streets, in shops and so on in Riga the majority speaks Russian. That should be no problem, it us just a language.
Also in the south, around Daugavpils Russian is the everyday language. Same i Estonia around the capital and in the east.
@@henkmol9169 daugavpils mby.. but not in Riga. I am Latvian, i go there once a month or so. Mby in some hoods in Riga, but def not entirety of Riga.
As long as ppl dont expect me to speak russian, i genuenly dont care what language they use between themselves thou
Can you provide the link for the documentary of Denis which you mentioned in this episode?
Hi! Please could you provide a time stamp of when that was mentioned?
Your home is ruZZia
History has its consequences and it must be awful for both sides.
Ha ha ha Latvia?Where is that!
Listen, people who think themselves better always end up paying the price.
"Mēs dzīvojam pēc likumiem un neesam neko pārkāpuši." Vai par Valsts valodas likumu un Satversmi viņi ir dzirdējuši?
Valsts Valodas likums regulē tikai to ka Ierēdņiem, skolotajiem un pārdevējiem jāzina latviešu valoda. Tas neattiecas uz pensionāriem.
@@RedZambala izlasi visus likuma pantus!
My mother in-law is from Cuba but has lived in the US for nearly 60 years but can only speak a few English words her Husband my Father in-law speaks enough English that I can understand him.
Do I think my mother in-law should be deported ?
Only on some days lol
did Cuba ever occupied US? If not, then do not compare.
Does your mother in-law demand that every American she meets speaks in Spanish to her? I doubt.
Is USA even a nation? Don't think so...
Has Cuba ever occupied the US and carried out mass executions, deportations and ethnic replacement? And is the current Cuban government threatening to invade the US?
Your mother In law probably did not admire Castro. This woman admires putin
44 years living in foreign country and not learning a word... tahts disrespectful
And Latvia is not a European Democracy? When you have a minority, around 30% of the country, they don't have the right to speak their language?
those people are just racist against Russian. That and hating on muslims are the new trends.....
if they have citizenship or permanent residency, then of course they can speak even chinese if they wish. But this lady is a russian citizen, not Latvian one. And to get citizenship or permanent residency papers, you need to pass test of local language- Try to get it without knowng the language in Russia, Britain, Italy, Germany etc etc etc
difference is that these 25% came here with a plan to replace a population, it's all proven in KGB documents, that's why minority laws doesn't apply to Russians here.
well, there is also a generation differences in supporting and not supporting Russia or Putin. I am sure the Soviet boomer generation to which Tamara also belongs will favor Russia even among the ethnic Latvians there are people who support Russia. But younger generations have different opinions. And I observed also in other countries like Georgia, Armenia, even the Russian immigrants in Germany, originally born the USSR and having soviet nostalgia will favor Putin and trust more the Russian propaganda.
Nope. Latvians do not support Soviets. We still remember.
if u feel threatened by the language someone speaks that is fascism, sorry if you dont like to hear it, but that's what it is
Well there is a difference. If there is a person who emigrated to USA from Mexico 30 years ago and does not speak English, that is one thing. How is that a threat to USA? It's clearly not. In Russian neighboring countries these people are used to destabilize/control these countries by Russia. You can see it by the fact that last two invasions of neighboring countries supposedly happened to protect the poor oppressed Russians. These people never learn local language thus remain fully immersed in Russian information space which is constantly pushing Russia narratives how all neighboring countries are failed, how good the life is in Russia and that Putin is the true savior. These people get fed this information and then vote for political parties which being in power will be VERY beneficial for Russia. You best believe that if Latvia would get occupied by Russia the Latvian language and culture would be forced into deep underground but instead they use our democracy against us by saying we are "oppressing" people by asking to take basic language tests in the local language of a country where you have lived for decades.
Yup, a big portion of Russians indeed are triggered when they hear Latvian and do whatever they can to only get by in Russian in Latvia and other places they have left Russia for. You can indeed call it fascism.
Putin&Co use this language as a weapon.
that's why she didn't learned a Latvian, all of Russians are like that, they hate everything about Latvia.
Why are Europeans setting standards for Russians that Europeans themselves have never even striven to meet? Did the English learn Gaelic in Scotland, Welsh in Wales or Irish in Ireland? Just the opposite. Did European settlers in America learn Lakota etc, in New Zeeland Maori, in Australia an Aboriginal language, in South Africa Zulu? Give the Russians a break! They are no different from other European colonizers.
Sorry, but there is no such thing as an Aboriginal language. There are more than 250 aboriginal languages in Australia. Nobody can learn them all. Many of closely settled aborigines still speak their own language. I don't try to shelter english settlers from blame - there is a lot to blame them for, but a country usually needs one or two official languages in which legal and government documents are written. And everybody residing in the country needs to know that language to understand the documents and to freely communicate with their neighbours.
@allengonch4067 Can you read English? If I say "You know an African language" it doesn't mean there's only ONE African language. It means you know at least one of the 3000+ languages spoken on the continent. I just think that any Australian of whatever background needs to know at least one Aboriginal language to at least have a basic understanding of the Australian Aborigines and their cultures. Can someone who does not know at least one European language really and truly understand Western culture? I don't think so. I speak from experience because I know 4 European and 4 Indigenous languages.
so Scots, Irish, Welsh lost their identiy, now you force us to lose it too? why? We don't want to.
PARDON!
It is about Language Grade A2 - 300 words simple sentences like "my name is Tatjana" "I live in Riga" ect.
She is more as 33 years in Latvia =1 word in month..
Dear ARTE this move is not documentary this is real russian/kremlin propaganda.
Shame on you!
So sad .once it was all prussia. I get so mixed up with all these new countries.once it was 4 continents. Land and religiouse wars !. So sad we are all just tourists on this planet no one can own it. 8f we can leave it a better place than when we got here like so many have for centuries then that's enough. Sadly now people have gone crazy and are destroying are planet with hate......
Russia need to liberate their people from oppressive latvia government
What's wrong with you?
Tie krievi var brīvi braukt uz Krieviju kaut rīt.Latvija nav Krievija!
they can take them back to russia.
🤔
I wonder if someone will ask the Protestants in Northern Ireland or the English in Scotland to speak Irish or Scottish or Welsh in Wales... If these people lived for ages in those places why are they not eligible to be citizens with all rights? And yet nobody questioned why one is not forced to be fluent in Catalan, or Basque, or Galician in those places.. is enough to speak Castilian (aka Spanish). So this things are only excuses to expel these people nothing more
Because in Spain, regional laguages are compulsory in the administration and so on, but anyone is free to speak whatever they want.
@@user-ks2uo3qh7i "Traitor voted for Putin". Lol. You people are so funny. Aren't you supposed to uphold her Democratic right to "VOTE FOR PUTIN"? Not everyone voted Putin in Russia. Latvia was part of Soviet Union and Russian was the official language of that COUNTRY. It's like you people only want to see the bad side of history and never the human side.
Латвия, Литва, Эстония- три незаконно созданных государства. Россия купила эти земли у Швеции, за огромные деньги. Двести лет это была провинция Российской Империи. Потом часть Советского Союза. Когда США и Британия уйдут из восточной Европы, все вернётся на круги своя.
Russians come here in 1940, with tanks. they are occupiers not minority. The absolute majority here drive 70-80. years in search of an easy life. Before 1918,
there were 5% Russians.
does they still occupy and kill neighbours like Russians do?
The woman tried to learn it but failed - they should give her more time tbf
She had decades. Its time to go back home.
But she supports Russian aggression to Ukraine by watching its propaganda illegally. Time to get back to motherland.
she had time more then 40 years - and still refuse to learn!
Old generation die, and youth learns Latvian.
So, it will happen as times goes by on its own.
It's funny watching a Ukrainian flag painted ALL OVER LATVIA. On side mounts, on buses, trams, poles, bridges. Is it Ukraine or is it Latvia. What a joke.
Everything is political today.
Being political is part of being a human being.
If you do not take interest in politics, one day politics will take interest in YOU without your consent (like in Putin’s Russia).
Putin said he is fighting with NATO in Ukraine! Many Latvians took that seriously and are taking part in it from their sofa in Latvia.
It's to identify occupants, they are so afraid of those colors as they were from colorado beetles back in the day.
Comments below are pure nonsense. Russians were living in what today's know as Latvia and Estonia even prior to the creation of the Soviet Union, especially in the east. This makes both countries multicultural, thus they have to respect and protect their Russian minority. Same level of repression is felt in Lithuania, where Polish schools are shutting down. Pure racism. Pure stalinism. I mean listen to those people, they see Russian speakers as a threat simply because of their culture. The Russian girl was saying that she is afraid to speak her own language because of the environment she lives in, and her Latvian teacher kept on saying that she must integrate. This is not just racism but pure stalinism and facism. Russians in Latvia would be loyal if they wouldn't experience such racism and intimidation on daily bases
Speak about nonsense! There were 8% of Russian population in Latvia in 1939 just before the Soviet era and 40% in 1991 at the end of the Soviet era. That speaks volumes that the grandma in the beginning of this video tells, that she was born here in Latvia..., well not exactly in Latvia itself, but in the Soviet Union. And Latvia being a part of the Soviet Union at the time, she was born here. So she has the right to this land by birth... Ironically following this logic all the hundreds of millions of the soviet citizens count as born with rights to live in Latvia, too... Ridiculous. That is nonsense as no other.
And you have some interesting ideas about racism. Last I checked Russians, Latvians, Poles, Lithuanians, French, Italians, Hungarians, Estonians, Finns, Swedes etc. were all of the same race.
Btw. Ask who lived for centuries in proud "Russian" Kaliningrad oblast, which language those people spoke, before first Germans assimilated them and then Russians eradicated and definitively russificated. So Latvians, Lithuanians, Estonians have all the rights to self-preservation. There is no other place in world, where they can do it. Otherwise than those born in all the other "republics" of the Soviet Union.
russiasn have no privilege of imposing their language on the rest of population of Latvia. before occupation of Latvia by soviets there were only 8% or Russians in Latvia and most of them spoke Latvian, then, after deporting tens of thousands of Latvias russiasn rought in hudreds of thousands of russians also installing russian as 2nd state language - illegally to intersnational rules. Latvians are ending their privilege after a very long, generous transition period.
Why aren’t you talking about the fact that a lot of Latvia people would like to join again to the great Russia motherland? 🙏🏻🇷🇺🇱🇻
u are delusional.
Who are those people? :D Less than 1% of the population?
A fact ? what fact T-roll ?? Where are those figures that sustain your statement ?
bull shit. Only Russian citizens living in LV would want this. Normal people will fight just like Ukrainians if your putins army comes here. Want for Pskov same destiny as for Shebekino, Belgorod and Kursk? Are you sure?
Why nobody talks about the fact that a lot of russians in russia want to join to become great Mongolian empire once again?