In the evening of November 16, a rally was held in Riga in defense of Latvian schools where teaching is done in Russian. Earlier, the government ruled such schools must be closed within three years, an EADaily correspondent reports.
Earlier, Degi Karaev, an activist from Riga, who was the organizer of the previous rally held on October 23, stressed in his post in a social network: "The threat looms over all schools, regardless of the language of teaching. Give it a thought and save strength. Get ready. I have a personal request to all parents, journalists, and politicians. It’s enough of shy silence, stop thinking if it the format or non-format. While you are racking your brains in confusion, our children, the future generations of Latvians are being deprived of their chances of a quality life. People without education are slaves. Raise the issue, call for an interview, show your civic activity without waiting for the "command from above”. You shape your own destiny!".
The rally gathered over a thousand participants. "A lot of people gathered. There are many more people compared to the first protest. People gathered outside the building of the institution (the education ministry - EADaily). Posters were stretched. There are many of those who stand with a sign on the neck with the inscription "Alien", which means an alien or non-citizen. One of the organizers delivers a speech before the audience telling them what will happen today. The same number of law enforcement officers as before are keeping order outside the building of the Ministry of Education. However, behind the Military Museum there are another 20 policemen. I do not know whether they are there accidentally or not. They do not seem to want to scare the participants of the action and passers-by by their appearance," comments the correspondent of the Baltkom radio.
Further, the participants of the action went along the route through the Bastion Hill to the French Embassy, then along the Raina Boulevard to the German Embassy, then along the Brivibas central alley to the government building where the final event of the rally was held. Incidentally, the organizers gave it a symbolic name: "Light against darkness! Enlightenment against obscurantism!". They urged those present in advance to light the screens of their smartphones, electric torches, and other lighting devices during the march. Latvian media did not fail to note that, like for the first time, many elderly and middle-aged people took part in the action, and the number of schoolchildren was insignificant.
