Latvia passes new language law

Many children said they wanted to learn Latvian - but voluntarily

The Latvian parliament has passed a law reducing the use of Russian in education amid angry protests by thousands of ethnic Russian students.

The bill which was passed by a large majority stipulates that all schools must teach mainly in Latvian.

It has outraged Latvia's large Russian minority - nearly a third of the population - and opinion in Russia.

The former Soviet republic is due to join the EU in May after a decade of readjustment and reforms.

The bill was adopted by 71 votes to 25 with four abstentions in the 100-seat Saeima, or lower chamber.

'Born Russian'

An estimated 5,000 students arrived at parliament in Riga before the vote to chant "hands off our schools" and "no to the reforms".

"We're born Russian and we should be able to speak Russian," one student told Reuters news agency.

The law demands that at least 60% of public school classes - even those which cater for ethnic Russians - must be taught in Latvian from September.

The Latvian Government says the bill is meant to help integrate minorities.

The Russian parliament has accused Latvia of violating the human rights of the minority - a charge rejected by Prime Minister Einars Repse as "gross interference in the internal affairs of a foreign state".

Thursday's protests passed off peacefully. In December, the entrance to the ministry of education was set ablaze by protesting students.