Fear used to manage people in Latvia, expert asserts

A proposal to establish language inspections with police functions in Latvia was voiced against the background of the deteriorating economic and social situation in the country – as noted by Aleksei Avdonin, an analyst with the Belarusian Institute for Strategic Studies, in his talk with Alfa Radio

Earlier, a deputy of Latvia’s Seimas, Aleksandrs Kiršteins, made a proposal in his Twitter account to create language inspections with police functions in the country to combat the Russian language. He believes the government should introduce not ‘decorative fines’, but sanctions of tens of thousands of Euros. Moreover, in his view, the businesses that offer services not in Latvian should be closed.

“This is an extreme form of radical sentiments associated with the deterioration of the economic and social situation in Latvia. Such pressure is a model of managing people through fear. It will be initially prohibited to speak Russian and, in a month, to raise the temperature in apartments above 19 degrees; temperature inspectors will then be introduced,” Mr. Avdonin stressed.

According to the expert, the Latvian government is well aware that, against the background of the deteriorating economic situation in the country, citizens will sooner or later come out to large-scale protests. To prevent this from happening, the authorities have decided to manipulate people with the feeling of fear.

“A protest of ordinary people against the elite is possible, and the nation can then be governed only through fear. They are now trying to do it, and we will most likely observe more ideas of the kind in the near future. They will be promoted, and special units will be established. Persecution of people there will start, but we know very well how such processes ended in the past. As a rule, they resulted in an international tribunal," Mr. Avdonin concluded.