Language cops clash with Riga mayor

Take note – story published 7 years ago

The State Language Center, which acts as arbiters of all matters linguistic in the country, has fined Riga Mayor Nils Ušakovs (Harmony) for posting Russian-language content on social networks on behalf of the Riga City Council. 

That is what Viesturs Razumovskis, a representative of the State Language Center, told LETA Wednesday, reports LSM.

Razumovskis declined to say how big the fine was, however the offense can be punished with a fine of €35-140.

According to Razumovskis, Ušakovs was fined as the Riga City Council violates the State Language Law obliging local authorities to provide information exclusively in the official language of the state.

While Ušakovs issued an irate reply on Facebook, claiming that the cited law does not regulate municipal communication on social networks.

He said he will appeal and that the council will continue addressing people on social media in three languages as before–Latvian, English, and Russian.

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Ušakovs suggested that the State Language Center should "do what they are best at, like coming up with what to call Pokémon in Latvian." 

However that could in fact be a pressing matter for Rīga, seeing as the building of the City Council holds a PokeStop. 

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