Photo:
the page of the Nile Ushakov in Facebook
The state language centre (SLB) of Latvia fined the mayor of Riga Nile Ushakov 50 Euro for communication with Latvian students in the Russian language. I told myself Ushakov on his page on Facebook.
The mayor said that the social network was broadcast to his informal meeting with the students who asked him questions in Russian. Ushakov said the students in the Russian language.
“In the opinion of the state Language Center, the official cannot respond to students in their native language. Even during informal communication. And the fact of translation on Facebook is an aggravating fact,” — said the mayor of Riga.
February 21, 2017, the Vidzeme suburb Court upheld the decision of the state language Centre to fine the mayor of the Nile Ushakov 140 euros for the use of the Russian language in Facebook. Earlier, the mayor of the Latvian capital promised that his administration “will continue to communicate with people as well as before, at least in three languages: Latvian, Russian and English.”
Latvia is home to several hundred thousand Russian-speaking citizens. The official status of Russian language has not. In 2012 was organised the referendum on the status of the state language, but the majority of citizens voted against it.