Report
Latvia Weekly: Disinformation Fuels Opposition to the Istanbul Convention
Ainars Šlesers of party Latvia First propagates false narratives claiming the Istanbul Convention promotes a “117 gender policy” and threatens traditional families, when the treaty actually focuses solely on preventing violence against women and domestic violence. He employs aggressive rhetoric against political opponents, repeatedly comparing Progressive party members to “Lenin,” sharing digitally altered images of them, and using terms like “gangsters” and accusations of “aggression” and “brainwashing” to delegitimize those who support the Convention.
Weekly Reports
Estonia Weekly: Continued Anti-Governmental Sentiments
Anti-government sentiments surged both within and outside of Estonia, with criticism aimed at the European Union and Estonian leadership. Additionally, the Estonian government faced accusations of failing to accommodate Russian voters and refusing to reduce officials’ vacation time.
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Latvia Weekly: Vaccine Narratives Dominate Social Media
During the examined week, vaccine-related narratives dominated social media, particularly after lethal diphtheria incidents, with claims linking vaccines to government control. Anti-LGBTQ+ narratives saw low engagement, especially on Facebook and TikTok. TikTok remained the most influential platform, with high engagement among Russian and Latvian-speaking audiences, while Facebook activity declined and engagement on X/Twitter increased.
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Estonia Weekly: Concerns Over Welfare and Rising Taxes
This week, articles and posts highlighted concerns over the Estonian government’s plans to reduce or eliminate welfare benefits, leading to public frustration about rising taxes. Unreliable sources claimed Estonia might take military action against Russia, intensifying fears of Russophobia. Additionally, a post referred to Parliament members as “Kremlin Agents,” fueling further debate on government alignment with Western policies.
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Lithuania Weekly: Ramanauskas vs. Russian Speakers
Algis Ramanauskas’ controversial comments about Russian-speaking people on his YouTube talk show sparked outrage. His remarks, which included hostile language about Russian culture, quickly circulated in the media and ignited public debates on tolerance, hate speech, and Russophobia. Despite his later apology, the controversy underscored deeper societal issues concerning the integration of Russian-speaking minorities in Lithuania.
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Latvia Weekly: Bureaucracy, Language Policy, and COVID-19 Spark Debate
Domestic issues dominated the narrative, focusing on bureaucracy, corruption, mandatory COVID-19 vaccines for children, and the use of the Russian language in public spaces. Opposition parties criticized the parliamentary decision to exclude the Russian language from ATMs, labeling it as Russophobic and inconvenient for Ukrainian refugees.
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Estonia Weekly: Continued Russophobia Allegations
Social media has been abuzz with increasing anti-government sentiment, with many posts criticizing the current administration’s handling of the economy, while official sources have reported a surge in claims of Russophobia in Estonia, particularly in relation to the removal of Soviet-era monuments and burial sites.
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Lithuania Weekly: Accelerating Election Campaign
significant social media activity came from controversial politician Petras Gražulis, who posted 31 Facebook Reels, harshly criticizing the government and promoting his coalition “Kelkis Lietuva”.
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Latvia Weekly: Opposition’s Support for Trump’s Presidential Campaign
During the examined week, discussions around corruption, economic growth, LGBTQ+ rights, and COVID-19 dominated domestic content. Notably, opposition members voiced support for Trump’s presidential campaign, arguing that Harris’s policies could lead to harmful over-inclusivity of transgender people.
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Estonia Weekly: Claims of Russophobia and Russification
Misinformation about the education system, healthcare costs, and government actions has fueled concerns, including allegations of Russophobia, rising taxes, unaffordable medical care, and increased government armament in preparation for potential civil unrest.
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