Deputy of the 14th Saeima Selma Teodora Levrenče ("Progressives") shared in the TV24 discussion "#letstalkopenly" how she communicates with 'vatniks' — Russian-speaking residents who are staunch supporters of Russian propaganda and hold chauvinistic views.
The deputy said that she tries not to talk to them, but since she lives in Kauguri, she often hears Russian speech.
"In general, my approach is this — if someone addresses me in Russian, I respond in Latvian, unless the person is very elderly or I know that they are from Ukraine and have just arrived. Only then do I switch to Russian, in case of great necessity," stated Selma Teodora Levrenče regarding her position on language use.
When asked where the inclusivity is then, Levrenče replied: "We want these people to speak Latvian, and we cannot teach them the Latvian language by speaking to them in Russian or shouting at them: 'Why aren't you learning Latvian?'"
The deputy of the Saeima considers this approach constructive.
