Latvian Legion Day
16 March is a kind of Patriots' Day in Latvia.
This Day few Nazi veterans, who still alive, lay wreaths on Freedom Monument in Riga.
It is not an official holiday anymore (it was till 2000).
Worldwide Nazism is convicted, but not in Latvia. 16 March is used by the Right political parties as Hate Speech Day between Latvian and Russian communities in Latvia.
This is a big waste of time and money. Just imagine how much cost to protect those 50 old dudes from furious contraries.
Everybody should understand that there is nothing about the freedom.
Please, see Latvian Legion Day in 2009 photos as well.
Guest Photographer: Dezidor
Labels: events, flags, flowers, history, holidays, independence, latvian, military, monuments, people, police, russian
People Reaction (21)
Your comment about this event is little bit strange. Many of that Russian people who demonstrate against this demonstration were clearly not members of right(-wing) political parties, but they were communists or national bolsheviks.
I am personally for freedom of assembly and freedom of expresion (also for nazis, homosexuals, communists...). Most of that people today didn´t look like Nazis, but like Latvian nacionalists.
I it should cost less money, there were so many policemans. For example they could walk with participants of demonstration, not stay from the centre to Freedom monument.
There was really more than 50 particapants (see this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHaVs-7Jxh8 ) and many of them were young or middle-aged.
I am for the freedom of speech too,
sorry, but i don't like those small groups of people which can not
survive themlselves and try to show off on public.
My moral is simple: If you are doing something not acceptable by others and you can not protect yourself, you have to keep silence instead of show off.
This event is considered show to divert average people attention from much more serious things happening in Latvia.
Hah. Russians are clearly outraged because someone is commemorating people who fought against them. They refuse to aknowledge the Soviets were criminals like the Nazis. And the opposing "anti-fascists" seem to me much more fascist than the veterans ever were.
Where else in the world is held march of Waffen SS veterans? (except neighbour country Estonia)
sorry, but you are blind and don't see the real reasons of that march.
You are just dazzled by contradictory word "Freedom"
I am repeating for you: there is nothing about Freedom.
You think this is about celebrating nazism, I mean is this what these veterans march for? (The young nazi-sympathisers and the anti-fascists who use this occasion to get into spotlight are the same bunch of idiots for me.)
If Soviet veterans are allowed to gather and lay wreaths so should be the soldiers from the opposing side. Would it be ok for you if they'd belonged to a Wermacht unit without the SS letters?
Idiots think that it is about celebrating Nazism, because somebody want they think so.
It is as a blind from the real problems in the country.
Just give disputable occasion to the people, and they will talk endlessly forgetting about everything but the talk.
It is a simple provocation for russian people, to receive back provation for latvian people.
I'm glad we agree. Politics is a different matter. There are politicians on both sides who use this to stir things up to their own ends. And it's true that all politicians do it all the time (well luckily for us not ALL the time).
The Russians should not get provoked, it's another side of the history, though not the one they are used to.
Are these your shots? What was the mood like?
Your post is very one sided. You must be representing the community that supported the occupation of Lativa:D:D:D
Honourable Dezidor here should sooner be called Disinformator. ;)
"Nazi veterans" - would mean veterans of Nazional Socialist party. As much as I know there never has been any single Latvian member of Nazi party. These are in no way Nazis.
These are the people who were fighting in military units on German side on Eastern front agains Soviet Communists (this is important!) during WWII. That does not make them more Nazis than fighting on Stalin's side makes you a Bolshevik.
Around 70% of these people were drafted (!) by Germans, which they should not have done under international law, so they called them "Waffen SS volunteers" to bend the law.
Though around 30% actually were volunteers. You may ask why. And the answer is that in 1940 - a year before Nazi invasion - Soviets invaded Latvia (and other 2 Baltic states) and destroyed the independent state, brutally murdered hundreds and brought to exile in wild areas of USSR thousands, many of whom died there in labor camps, being innocent civilians, even children (that is for the country of less than 3 million). So these actual volunteers went to war to avenge their murdered relatives and destruction of their country and to fight Bolsheviks so that they never come back to kill and destroy again. (Remember, that the real scale of Nazi own atrocities was uncovered only at the very end of the war)
It is not any kind of "Nazi glory day" or "SS march" as it is called by Russian propaganda. Actually people just come to lay flowers to commemorate their dead fathers, brothers, and friends. It is a day of remembering and sorrow, and only hatred mongering Commies, Neo-Bolsheviks, rabid "Russian-speaking" Soviet chauvinists and others of their extremist kind do not get it and make a hell of a fuss about it. The official Moscow is helping them to blow up the flame of hatred by all means, trying to destabilize the situation in Latvia.
"Worldwide Nazism is convicted, but not in Latvia" - Shameless, damn, outright lies! In Latvia prising of Nazional Socialism is crime under criminal law.
"Hate Speech Day (1) between Latvian and Russian communities (2)" - (1) this term is your invention; (2) in a way, but just because fanatical "Russian speaking" Soviet extremists are causing civil disorder and dispatching insults, thus creating bitterness in Latvian part of the society.
"This is a big waste of time and money" - keep the Commie lunatics at bay and there will be no extra costs incurred. Otherwise people should be protected from them.
"50 old dudes" - is not. It is several hundred people, mostly relatives, including elderly ladies, who basically just want to commemorate their dead who were killed in war.
"Everybody should understand that there is nothing about the freedom" - Absolutely wrong! It is all about freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, justice and first of all TRUTH!
Even during USSR period Soviet regime never claimed these people to be any kind of Nazis or criminals. There was even very fair and human movie made by Soviet (!) Latvia Riga film studio about these soldiers in 1960-ies.
Besides, those of these soldiers, who surrendered to Western Allies, even guarded real Nazi criminals at Nuremberg trials and guarded USA bases during Berlin Airlift.
In a way they were like Finns, who fought against Soviets alongside Nazis, only due to different circumstances could not do that under their own flag.
P.S.
When someone bitches about "Nazi SS march in Riga" - check his background. Very soon you will find a pattern in who they are, where their parents came from and who they were. ;)
For example, Prokur, who is bitching here about the dreaded "Waffen SS march" in his comment to some other post is being sarcastic about the poster mentioning that from Tornkalns railway station thousands of people were brought by Communists to exile in USSR, which meant death to many. And that is yet a quite "moderate" and "liberal" modern Soviet sympathiser attitude.
Stalin's ideas of what is right and what is not do not want to go away easily from minds poisoned by totalitarian Communism for nearly a century.
Just come and see here at this very site and you will understand why some people actually did volunteer to fight in German army against Soviets.
Just one more thing: Soldiers fighting on German side were intentionally misled to believe, that independence of Latvian Republic will be restored after Bolshevism will be defeated by Germany. Of course it was not the true Nazional-Socialist intention, but they made it look like that. So these soldiers actually DID SINCERLEY BELIEVE that they are fighting for freedom and future of their beloved country.
On the other side, those fighting in Red Army KNEW, that it is not about independence of Latvia, but all about Latvia and other Baltic countries becoming again a part (province) of USSR.
So, the first BELIEVED that they fight for freedom, the others KNEW that they are NOT fighting for freedom, but for captive country with Commmunist regime in it. (Of course we are talking about volunteers here. Those who were drafted had no choice anyway, and sometimes even were forced to fight on both sides in turn.)
(We can even ignore those multiple Communist indoctrinated soldiers of Soviet Russia who fought just because their leader told them so, who took (brali) countries and cities "for Stalin" and who stayed in Latvia after WWII. They form a considerable share of current Red Army and Communist veteran population in Latvia today and are the most fanatical and aggressive)
So it comes to this - while the first fought for freedom of their countries, the latter fought for destruction of their countries.
So, who of them is actually more "bad", eh?
Remember, that up till summer 1941 both Germany and USSR were totalitarian pseudo-socialist empires, friends and partners. They both had divided Poland amongst themselves in 1939 which triggered the WWII. German newspapers even were writing about forming alliance against "rotten Western democracies". Liberal Baltic countries found themselves caught "between a rock and a hard place".
So modern Russian attitude that someone is bad just because in 1941 AFTER middle of June he aligned himself with Germans is extremely cynical, because they themselves did just that UNTIL middle of June 1941. So it is not about being for or against Nazis, it is about being for or against Bolsheviks or - modern way - being for or against Russians.
That is the key!!!
Russian-speaking readers may go and see this charming short video on how false propaganda about "Nazis in Latvia" is produced by Russian television : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_3Vn7sI8dQ
They (Russian TV) even present victims murdered by Soviet secret police NKVD in 1940-1941 as victims of Nazis.
Yeah, let's put it like this, for the lazy ones...
I agreed with publishing my photos, but that biased political comment is not mine.
Glad to hear that! :) Really.
Actually I had noticed your images in Wikipedia. So I was confused, and wondered why otherwise so obviously nice and sensible individual, a foreigner, would post such a comment. Especially after I saw your photo in "Katyń".
This explains everything.
Yes, it is hard not to notice that owner of this blog is Russian. Quite liberal for a Russian but you can not avoid it sticking out here and there in nearly every post, though possibly only the locals can really tell the difference, i.e. to recognize typical Russian point of view, mindset, ideology, beliefs, values, jokes, folklore, choice of words, taste, etc. displayed here.
Just like some Brighton Beach Russian immigrant blog would not reflect the actual New York or American viewpoint or taste.
Good luck, Dezidor! Best wishes! :)
Dear cron(s), despite I'm Russian-speaking person, I don't consider myself as pro-Russian.
I am trying to reflect more or less neutral point of view about Riga.
I don't like to get involved in that kind of discussions because they are too stupid. But I'm going to answer you in this case, because it is getting too hot here.
I have asked many of my Latvian friends, what they are really thinking about actions being held on March 16.
And you know what they have answered? They are all against it! All of them gave the same answer!
Unlike you, with your extremely-right vision of the situation.
-----
I reflect my view of Riga as I want. This is my city not less than yours. And maybe even more, because you behave like brainwashed villager.
And if my vision about Latvia is like emigrant from Brighton to New York.
Then yours is like Hitler's one to Germany and Germans.
Yes, I have noticed that you are trying to present more or less neutral point of view and often you succeed, but sometimes you fail and in this case you fail considerably.
If you do not want it to get "too hot" here, then do not post one-sided political comments here. Stay away from politics altogether!
I just wonder what "your Latvian friends" actually think when they say to you this. Nearly every Latvian family has someone amongst their relatives who was drafted into the Legion and often died at the battlefield, your friends possibly too. And one thing is for sure - they know that their grand-fathers and grand-uncles were not Nazis, whatever modern politicians of certain kind are yelling. (By the way, during USSR era nobody insisted that Latvian Legion soldiers were Nazis, this is purely new phenomenon. See even a fragment from Soviet(!) movie about the Legion)
For example - I also think that possibly it is better not to have this remembrance day in the middle of the city, it is better to have it at the soldiers cemetery (as have been the cases). But that neither makes me deny these people rights to lay flowers in memory of their friends wherever they want, neither it makes me CALL THEM NAZIS! That crosses every limits of decency from your side! It is shameless, outrageous and above all - incorrect! So might be you just do not really understand what your "friends" think, and try to extrapolate it into your own virtual world to a grotesque result.
Do not you realize that things which you are saying actually are not facts, but rather radical political views, shared by political minority, stemming from Soviet ideological heritage?
You may disagree that it is OK for them to have this commemoration event, but they are not Nazis and saying it you are both lying and committing offense. Don't you get it?
You think going around and calling people Nazis on random whenever you dislike anything about them is OK?
Don't you get it that very many people may be deeply insulted by your words? Don't you get it that those whom you call Nazis might actually hate Nazis not less than you?
Another factor to consider is that there is that another group of people, celebrating 9th of May, which is (unlike 8th of May - official remmberance day in Latvia and the rest of Europe) purely Soviet/Russian holiday, attended, aside from actual Red veterans, in large amounts by former Communists and modern Russian chauvinists, neo-Bolsheviks etc. It is fully supported by Russian embassy. And this celebration indeed IS POLITICAL, including waving of red flags, pictures of Stalin and speeches of leftist radicals. So, if THESE people are allowed to have their POLITICAL manifestation every year in the country which was effectively destroyed in 1940 by people like them, than, EXCUSE ME(!!!) the Legion soldiers are definitely allowed to lay some flowers in a short and peaceful event, as they had always done. NO ONE (!!!!) EVER (!!!!) has said there anything good about Nazis or even mentioned them!!!! There is not a bit of any Fascizm or Nazism, as you and your favorite Russian media keep claiming. Jee, man, can't you, damn, get it!?
Besides, in this particular comment you are lying when you say, that "Nazism is not convicted in Latvia". This is simply not true.
"16 March is used by the Right political parties as Hate Speech Day between Latvian and Russian communities in Latvia" - actually this is the other way around. The veterans and the elderly relatives of fallen soldiers had used remembrance day for years to go to church and then silently lay flowers, but then suddenly out of blue air it was "Russian speaking" pro-Soviet extremists who started to use it as a Hate Speech Day, with insults, provocations and all that circus, with full support of Government of Russian Federation and their mass media. And I bet they are going to repeat it this year too.
"Extremely right"? - What there is extremely right to it? That people lay flowers in memory of their dead? As I said - all that Nazi business is in your head only!!!
"nothing about the freedom" - what kind of talk is that? Do I hear brave "Nazi fighter" calling for limiting freedom of speech and assembly of the people he disagrees with? Eh?
So possibly you shall slow it down a bit, take a breath and open your eyes a bit wider. Try reading some Latvian newspapers and books. Learn the goddamn facts from books which are not printed either in USSR or in Russian Federation. Otherwise your "Russophone" newspapers, which are run by former USSR Communists, keep planting in your brain rather bizzare reflection of the reality. I know it because I read them from time to time and it always surprises me how these people may be so (intentionally ?) incompetent lying "suns of beaches". But possibly that is just a Soviet Russophone mentality and world view? So called "Sovok"?
P.S.
You call me "brainwashed villager" and I will explain to those who do not know, that "villagers" ("hutarskie") is Russian swearword for Latvians. So your Russian chauvinism starts seeping out a little, doesn't it? ;)
And regarding that "Hitler" thing - I can hear Soviet guy talking. To you every one who does not think like you is "Fascist" and Hitler's supporter. That is why you see Nazis at every corner and even under your bed. You just do not realize that there may be so many different points of view and that not everyone who disagrees with you is necessarily a Nazi.
P.P.S.
So, again, - do not want political fuss - stay away from politics.
cron: I am not author of that far left comments. I only made photos and agreed by mail with publishing my photos because they are under free licence. My only comment here was "Your comment about this event is little bit strange. Many of that..."
Dezidor
If russians something do not like, they can go back to russia!
Latvia is for Latvians!
This day would be silent, if there would not be biased russians and other stupid people (like riga.in).
Russians can celebrate 9.May, but we can not?
Type in google-RED ARMY RAPES.
(also update your russian tags with these words!)
Cron
is the movie your referring to on you tube - 'I remember Richard'? I have heard about it but as I can't read Russian, I can't work out what it is and don't have anyone to translate?