The organisers of this protest action cite the figure of up to 30,000 participants -parents, Russian school students and teachers from all over Latvia. The statement by the teachers' section of the Russian school champions' headquarters, published this Friday in Latvia's Russian-language newspapers, refers to the demonstration tomorrow as "the crucial open lesson, the lesson of civil courage". "It is to show to all the world that we do exist, that there are many of us and that we should be reckoned with," says the statement.
The participants are to rally on two sites in the centre of the Latvian capital-in front of the St.Peter Cathedral in Old Riga and at the Congress House-- to move on then in two processions toward the monument to Soviet liberators from Nazi invaders, situated on the opposite bank of the Daugava. A meeting there will be declared open at midday, just the time when a ceremony of hoisting the European Union flag on Dome Square in Old Riga on the occasion of Latvia's admission to the EU will begin. According to the Russian school champions headquarters militant Svetlana Savityskaya, a 12th-grade student of the Oswald secondary school, the first of May was chosen as the date of the demonstration quite intentionally. "The organisers hope that the action will draw the attention of foreign guests and journalists who have come to celebrate and cover the event of Latvia's joining the EU," said Savitaskaya who is also a member of the Strasbourg youth group and the negotiating group selected at the all-Latvia congress of Russian school champions for talks with the authorities.
"Let them see with their own eyes their new companion, a state that is neglecting the rights of almost half of its population," said the girl.
For her part, Latvian President Vayra Vike-Freiberg went on the air today, describing the decision to introduce Lettish-language tuition of a majority of subjects in Russian secondary schools as "adequate to the current situation in Latvia" and "far from being radical". The moves by Russian school champions were criticized by her as "politically-motivated" and aimed at defaming Latvia as a new EU member.
"Europe will never alienate us, no matter whether our schoolchildren will go out into the streets or not," she said.
