3 ms·

Russians take language test to avoid expulsion from Latvia

1 points by VagueMag 3y ago

jleyank 3y ago
Welcome to the world of immigration and permanent residency. Countries can (and do) set whatever rules they want regarding residents and citizens and people have to play along in order to remain. Want to come to Canada, show proficiency in French or English if you want to get citizenship. Need facility in French to get residency in Quebec (without a governmental excuse), and one might need it in English elsewhere in Canada for all I know. And as we see here, the rules can change.
- VagueMag 3y ago
  "Want to come to Canada" is not really a relevant example in this case, some of the people facing expulsion by this fascistic and ethnocentric policy have lived in Latvia for decades. It's explicitly being framed as a loyalty test.
  - jleyank 3y ago
    But honestly, citizenship is such a test. If they had the chance to become Latvian years back and chose not to, they're foreign nationals. Sucks to be them, but that's a choice they made re: integration and Russia made worse by dumping on its neighbours. Of which Latvia is one of the "formerly Russian" neighbours. People are citizens, permanent residents or people under some kind of implicit or explicit visa. The latter two categories are "granted", and the first category can be revoked for multiple-citizenships.
    - nevermindiguess 3y ago
      What really sucks is that members of society like you think that a government nitpicking on immigration laws to justify fascist harassment of a specific group of people is actually fine. Your belief are the real issue (for us as a society) because they reveal a deep seated hatred toward a specific group of people. And history shows where that leads.
      - jleyank 3y ago
        Russian or Brexiteer? My opinions aren’t relevant as I was merely pointing out how countries typically view non-citizens. While it’s not nice or fair, citizens of countries viewed as hostile are often viewed with hostility. The wars of the 20th century pointed this out multiple times. Look at the Japanese in North America and the Germans in Eastern Europe. The Middle East isn’t exactly brimming with goodwill towards its various neighbours or even its own citizens and residents.
    - VagueMag 3y ago
      What Russia did is save Latvia from being liquidated entirely by the Nazis.
      - jleyank 3y ago
        Err, the USSR liberated Latvia in 1940 following the terms of the German-Soviet treaty that facilitated the start of ww ii. Given that it took 50 years to become un-liberated its an open question whose rule would have been less severe (outside of particular ethnic or religious groups).
        VagueMag 3y ago
        > outside of particular ethnic or religious groups lol
        ghostwriter 3y ago
        > following the terms of the German-Soviet treaty that facilitated the start of ww ii. Correction: you were meant to say British-French-Polish-German treaty of 30th September 1938, that provided "legal" grounds for the German, Polish, and Hungarian annexation of pieces of land of Czechoslovakia, preceded by the United Kingdom and France "informally" asking Czechoslovakia to cede its Sudetenland territory to Germany on 20th September, which was followed by Polish territorial demands brought on 21 September and Hungarian on 22th September.

1 points by VagueMag 3y ago

Welcome to the world of immigration and permanent residency. Countries can (and do) set whatever rules they want regarding residents and citizens and people have to play along in order to remain. Want to come to Canada, show proficiency in French or English if you want to get citizenship. Need facility in French to get residency in Quebec (without a governmental excuse), and one might need it in English elsewhere in Canada for all I know. And as we see here, the rules can change.

VagueMag 3y ago
"Want to come to Canada" is not really a relevant example in this case, some of the people facing expulsion by this fascistic and ethnocentric policy have lived in Latvia for decades. It's explicitly being framed as a loyalty test.
- jleyank 3y ago
  But honestly, citizenship is such a test. If they had the chance to become Latvian years back and chose not to, they're foreign nationals. Sucks to be them, but that's a choice they made re: integration and Russia made worse by dumping on its neighbours. Of which Latvia is one of the "formerly Russian" neighbours. People are citizens, permanent residents or people under some kind of implicit or explicit visa. The latter two categories are "granted", and the first category can be revoked for multiple-citizenships.
  - nevermindiguess 3y ago
    What really sucks is that members of society like you think that a government nitpicking on immigration laws to justify fascist harassment of a specific group of people is actually fine. Your belief are the real issue (for us as a society) because they reveal a deep seated hatred toward a specific group of people. And history shows where that leads.
    - jleyank 3y ago
      Russian or Brexiteer? My opinions aren’t relevant as I was merely pointing out how countries typically view non-citizens. While it’s not nice or fair, citizens of countries viewed as hostile are often viewed with hostility. The wars of the 20th century pointed this out multiple times. Look at the Japanese in North America and the Germans in Eastern Europe. The Middle East isn’t exactly brimming with goodwill towards its various neighbours or even its own citizens and residents.
  - VagueMag 3y ago
    What Russia did is save Latvia from being liquidated entirely by the Nazis.
    - jleyank 3y ago
      Err, the USSR liberated Latvia in 1940 following the terms of the German-Soviet treaty that facilitated the start of ww ii. Given that it took 50 years to become un-liberated its an open question whose rule would have been less severe (outside of particular ethnic or religious groups).
      - VagueMag 3y ago
        > outside of particular ethnic or religious groups lol
      - ghostwriter 3y ago
        > following the terms of the German-Soviet treaty that facilitated the start of ww ii. Correction: you were meant to say British-French-Polish-German treaty of 30th September 1938, that provided "legal" grounds for the German, Polish, and Hungarian annexation of pieces of land of Czechoslovakia, preceded by the United Kingdom and France "informally" asking Czechoslovakia to cede its Sudetenland territory to Germany on 20th September, which was followed by Polish territorial demands brought on 21 September and Hungarian on 22th September.