Comments by "duncan smith" (@duncansmith7562) on "Putin threatens Latvia with ‘repercussions’ over policy towards Russian speakers" video.
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@thorstenvogt6561 Russia doesn't have 25% of its population as Latvian speakers, so there is not the same issue in Russia.
However, where there are significant numbers of non Russian speakers, for example, In Tartarstan, Tartar speakers have equal rights with Russian speakers.
see the difference?
Unless Russian speaking communities in Latvia have the exact same rights as Latvian speakers, then there is discrimination at play, and there will be trouble.
If Latvia were wise, it would insist on no language tests for any of its citizens, period. Switzerland has 4 official languages, Latvia should have 2.
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@michaeldunham3385 The Baltic states are playing with fire.
Had they taken the Kazakhstan approach of embracing their ethnic Russians and allowing them equal rights, everything would be fine.
But in a manic nationalistic fervor to combat Russification from decades past, the Baltics are going down the same disastrous path as Ukraine nationalists chose, so we should expect the same results.
Putin will defend the rights of ethnic Russians wherever they are...Transnistria, Chechnya, Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Crimea, Donbass, and next on the list it seems, Latvia.
There are some slow learners in the Baltics.
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@mrqrow2520 ok, so let me give you another analogy if, on the technicality of there being no official language in the USA, you don't get my point.
If, hypothetically speaking, Spain invaded Portugal, then Spanish would replace Portuguese as Portugal's official language.
So, what's your point? That an invading power gets to determine language policy over the land it conquers? so what?
Russia never occupied Latvia.
Latvia became a part of the USSR, one republic of which was the RFSFR, so, learn some basic history. Just embarrassing you can't distinguish between USSR and Russia.
Yes, we all know that Latvian was chosen as the one and only official language of Latvia. Hence, 25% of the Latvian population were alienated by the Riga government at the stroke of a nationalist pen.
Tell me, what would be the disaster that would befall Latvia if Russian were recognized, again, as an official language?
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@thorstenvogt6561 1. Having to use the officially declared "national language" in official proceedings, even when every single person involved in the official proceedings speaks a language other than the "national language", is NOT an entirely common thing.
A court case in Daugavpils, in which judge, jury, and all assembled are Russian speakers, but every word of the proceedings must happen in what is a foreign language for them, is totally absurd.
You try telling French Canadians to have every word of a court proceeding in Montreal in English and see how long it takes for a revolution to break out.
2. Russian is an official language of Kazakhstan and is used on an equal basis with Kazakh. Russia has never made any claim that Kazakhstan is not a real country, so bang goes your theory on that one. You speak utter nonsense. On the contrary, where Russian is recognized as a lingua franca, in places like Uzbekistan, the relations between Uzbeks and Russians is very good. It's only the rabid nationalistic Russophobes of ex Soviet republics in Europe that are getting themselves in a mess because of their hatred of things Russian.
3. How can the Baltics possibly "avoid" having a Russian speaking minority? Sounds like you are advocating genocide. Legislating against use of language only antagonizes the minority speakers. Latvia seems determined to go the same way as Ukraine. If it had any sense, it would go the way of Kazakhstan.
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@thorstenvogt6561 "Threat of violence by their previous Russian overlords / colonizers, as Ukraine is suffering, should not be a factor in that decision."
Yet, you just said that it's a really good idea for Switzerland to retain Italian as an official language, because Italy is not, at the moment, an aggressive, expansionist country.
So, in the case of Switzerland, the low threat level of the neighboring state is the reason why Italian should be an official language, but in the case of Kazakhstan, the threat level should play absolutely no part in decisions on the country's official languages?
and this all makes perfect sense to you?
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@erglis1145 yes, Switzerland is a different subject that you refuse to discuss, because it reveals your hypocrisy. so, let's try again. Italian speakers represent only 4% of the Swiss population, but their language is recognized as an official language and they have no need to take a language exam to retain Swiss citizenship. so, you tell me, which country has got this right? Switzerland, or Latvia? Or, let me guess, you are so Russophobic that ONLY when we talk about native Russian speakers does your bigotry get exposed?
and as to French people in the UK not bothering anyone, what has the Russian speaking lady in Latvia done that bothers anyone?
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