Quote Originally Posted by Crocodile View Post
Well, that is due to the prominent presence of democracy and free speech. Check that out too:



Both countries are the EU members. Cheers!
Yes, actually I did read about that. It was actually in the Swedish papers. They know that the Baltic states are a bit dodgy in how they treat the Russian minorities and it's covered from time to time. People can't help but notice that when they go to the market in Riga everyone around them speak Russian and get curious what's going on.

But there is a kind of "rasism" against Russians in the EU. Russian language, TV or people are ok to discriminate... or at least it doesn't upset anyone very much and they will think up reasons for why this is acceptable in Latvia. Because "Russian TV is just propaganda anyway", say people who don't know a word of Russian and could never determine for themselves! But they heard that on CNN, or it was in a Hollywood movie.

The Baltic Russians took this to Brussels to complain, but nothing came of it yet. They should just sue the Latvian state in the EU court, I think. It's completely illegal what the Baltic states are doing. They would win, if they were prepared to take the battle.

If any other country in the EU treated a minority like the Baltics treat Russians there would be an outrage. Lots of people are involved against supposed discrimination against gypsies for example, and it's constantly on TV. Romania and Bulgaria received billions from the EU to help the gypsies.

When I was in Latvia, I saw some Russian families with children who lived in an undescribable DUMP, some old military baracks - not renovated for 30 years. It's very, very upsetting. Russians are probably less popular in the EU than gypsies at the moment. Nobody cares if they are lied about, or mistreated.

I think Russia will have it's rematch in the future.
But the situation is extreme at the moment.