These are parallel and radically opposite processes - on the one hand, the government decides to extend the state of emergency on the country's eastern border, as hundreds of migrants try to criminally enter Latvia every day. On the other hand, generously foreign-funded organizations are trying to promote public tolerance towards migrants.
In February, the Latvian Centre for Human Rights (Latvijas Cilvēktiesību centrs) will launch a series of seminars for non-governmental organizations "Towards a more tolerant society". The aim of the training program is to "strengthen the capacity of non-governmental organizations to reduce and respond to manifestations of intolerance, in particular discrimination and hate speech/crimes". Representatives of all NGOs are invited to participate, but in particular "organizations working on a daily basis with young people and/or members of vulnerable groups - newcomers (migrants/refugees), ethnic minorities, persons with disabilities, sexual minorities, etc."
Of course, even remote coffee drinking needs funding, and in this case, it is really excellent. The Latvian Centre for Human Rights' project "Towards a more tolerant society - information, education, support and cooperation" has been allocated €103,030.81 from public funds. This allocation and the purposes for which it is used are beyond the control of the Latvian State, as it is provided by the Active Citizens Foundation (Aktīvo iedzīvotāju fonds). In 2020, Neatkarīgā already reported that "Selected NGOs will be gilded with EEA funds." The total amount allocated for three years to Latvian organizations dealing with civil society issues is €8,350,000. And here several important nuances need to be mentioned. Firstly, very large sums are competed for at once, access is ensured to strong, already wealthy organizations, and finally, spending is coordinated directly with donors over which Latvia has no influence - Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. Thus, the influence of public opinion and processes is shaped according to these countries' perceptions of the needs and mission of Latvian NGOs.
A contradictory situation has emerged. The Latvian government is trying to get rid of uninvited visitors who threaten national security. It is building a pathetic fence and arguing with the European Commission. In contrast, Latvian non-governmental organizations are and will continue to be trained with foreigners' money to welcome these uninvited visitors and to chastise those who find migrants unwelcome in Latvia. A case from the experience of Neatkarīgā with the Latvian Centre for Human Rights is illustrative. In autumn 2020, Abubaker Mohamad Awad was tried in Sweden. A migrant from Sudan who had been granted asylum by the Swedish government. He did not appreciate Swedish hospitality. He arrived uninvited at a private party, raped his host's girlfriend, then fatally stabbed the host, and then raped the girl again in front of the dying host. The court sentenced him to life imprisonment. Neatkarīgā wrote about this horrifying and yet educational case, concluding that Latvia should not have to say “Refugees welcome!” The Latvian Centre for Human Rights, in the person of its head Anhelita Kamenska, concluded that "the content of the article and the biased and one-sided information it contains promote intolerance and hatred against asylum seekers on the basis of race and nationality". And threatened to complain to the State Security Service.
But now the news is different. Migrants are now breaking across our own borders without even trying to claim asylum. Every day. And that's why the Latvian Centre for Human Rights is spending a hundred thousand euros to teach Latvian society to become more inclusive. In an invitation to other NGOs to apply for the program "Towards a more tolerant society", the centre praises itself and others:
"NGOs are one of the cornerstones of building a more tolerant society by bringing together people from different groups, of different nationalities and ages, and defending their rights and interests. Because they have a high level of trust with the public and with different vulnerable groups, close contact with the population, and the ability to reach out to society and bring about positive change."
This is not true. Public trust in NGOs is low, not high. This is confirmed by an SKDS survey carried out at the end of the year for Neatkarīgā. The latest data show that only 35% of respondents trust public organizations - various associations and foundations, 39.5% do not trust them, and 25.5% do not know what to think about them. The Latvian Centre for Human Rights is also likely to have made a significant contribution to public skepticism. This is one of the seven organizations that signed the scandalous open letter to Latvia's top officials last summer, as the migration crisis on Latvia's border was unfolding, with a series of demands in the interests of illegal migrants and the criminals who recruited them. This included "granting the possibility to apply for asylum status to all people who are on the territory of Latvia". So, to all those who have managed to criminally enter the country. And to "accommodate many more potential asylum seekers than is currently the case". This is not what the Latvian public has ordered.