The predictable response in the online bubble of Latvian nationalists was triggered by the story of an 18-year-old young man who wanted to work part-time at a gas station. But it did not work out.
Allegedly, during an interview for a position as a gas station attendant on Dzelzavas Street in Riga, the company "Circle K" required the applicant — a young man — to know Russian. This was reported to the TV3 channel by the young man's mother. Since her son does not know Russian, she said he was refused.
Sanita, the young man's mother, claims: "During the interview, he was asked if he knew Russian, as he did not indicate this in his CV. He replied that he did not know. They responded — how will you communicate with customers? Then they asked a test question in Russian, which he did not understand. They said he was very pleasant and nice and they would have hired him if he knew Russian. He came home very disappointed. He asked me if it was really necessary to know Russian. I replied that no, it is not necessary."
The family that did not get the job filed a complaint with the Labor Inspectorate. They reported that if the specifics of the job do not require communication with foreigners, companies operating in the domestic market do not have the right to demand knowledge of Russian or other foreign languages either in job advertisements or during interviews.
The event sparked a strong reaction online. For example, there was a suggestion that the letter "K" in the name "Circle K" stands for Krievija, meaning Russia.
Some commentators suggested that each other should no longer refuel at "Circle K" but instead fill up on gasoline and diesel at competing gas stations. This is strange. Firstly, "Circle K" is a Canadian chain, and Canada is a military ally of Latvia in NATO. Secondly, the overwhelming majority of "Circle K" employees are Latvians. That is, Latvian customers intended to punish Latvian sellers.
Here is a sample of typical outrage caused by the television story:
"When will Latvians have the same rights as Russians in Latvia? What makes our children worse? When will serious penalties be imposed and applied for such unscrupulous companies as 'Circle K Latvia'?" wrote a certain Juris Bisnieks.
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>Cien. @Tiesibsargs_LV , @darbainspekcija Kad latviešiem būs tādas pašas tiesības kā krieviem Latvijā? Ar ko mūsu bērni ir sliktāki? @Jekaba11 kad šādiem negodīgiem @CircleKLatvija tiks paredzēti un piemēroti kārtīgi sodi? https://t.co/kscM5mb12T
— Juris Bisnieks (@Bisja1) May 1, 2026
And in the debates, everyone forgot about the rising prices at gas stations – both at "Circle K" and at others – where they only speak Latvian.
