HQ supporters circulated leaflets in Riga's Esplanade Park tonight. "The HQ is out for resolute action to fight ethnic minorities' schools Lettified," say the leaflets.
From today into September 3, the HQ is establishing round-the-clock protest pickets as Latvia's authorities determined to shift ethnic minorities' secondary schools to Lettish as basic tuition language from this academic year on. The year starts, September 1.
Side by side with their parents, several dozen students of schools with Russian for tuition language are active on the public protest.
Several thousand are determined to rally, evening September 1, in front of the Soviet liberator soldier memorial in Riga's Victory Park. All Russian-language schools will go on general strike the next day, warn the leaflets.
"We are not loath to study Lettish. We merely insist on our right to study in our mothertongue," says Yakov Pliner, MP, Doctor of Pedagogics, and HQ member.
"Authorities are turning a deaf ear to Russian speakers' opinions, and would not start a constructive dialogue on educational and other issues-hence our protest action," explains Dr. Pliner.
