Latvian social media outraged by the audacity of the Integration Fund - released a video about respect for other languages

The center of the scandal is the Society Integration Fund (SIF), and the reason is a short video created as part of a project to promote tolerance among youth. The video titled "Valoda, ko saprot visi!" ("A language that everyone understands") tells the story of a schoolboy who talks on the phone with his mother in his native (Romani) language during a break. This provokes a mocking reaction from another student named Raivo. He sarcastically says, "What, Gypsy, have you forgotten the Latvian language? Just so you know, the main language here is Latvian."

Then the plot shifts to another country. According to the script, Raivo finds himself abroad - in the USA. There, he talks on the phone with his mother in Latvian, and a classmate approaches him. A girl named Hanna speaks in English: "Hey, speak in our language or don’t speak at all." After this, the protagonist feels awkward and hurt, realizing that he himself behaved this way in Latvia. The video ends with the phrase: "We do not choose our nationality. Kindness is a universal language of communication."

The video was published as part of the "Solis pretī" ("Step Towards") project, which the Integration Fund implements together with the technology park in Ventspils. Its goal is to encourage young people to think about mutual respect and tolerance.

However, the publication sparked a fierce reaction on social media. In particular, many users on Twitter accused the fund of portraying Latvian schoolchildren as aggressors. Some claimed that in real life, such remarks are allegedly made not by Latvians, but by Russian-speaking students. Others wrote that even if Latvian schoolchildren demand to speak Latvian, it is justified since the state language should be used in school.

Politicians also joined the criticism. Andris Velps, a representative of the "Austošā Saule Latvijai" party, stated that the fund's campaign is a "targeted attack on the national consciousness of Latvian youth." According to him, a state institution is producing content with budget funds that "portrays Latvian youth in an undignified light." He also accused the authors of the video of ignoring the historical context: "By completely ignoring the consequences of 50 years of Russification and the current challenges of national security, the video attempts to present Latvians as aggressors and thereby undermines their self-awareness."

🚨 SIF kampaņa – mērķtiecīgs uzbrukums latviešu jauniešu nacionālajai pašapziņai
Mēs, partija "Austošā Saule Latvijai", kategoriski nosodām Sabiedrības integrācijas fonds (SIF) izplatīto video "Valoda, ko saprot visi!", kas latviešu valodas stiprināšanas vietā nodarbojas ar… pic.twitter.com/GHBB83EeE9

— Andris Velps (@AndrisVelps) March 4, 2026