A traditional procession in memory of the Latvian SS legionnaires took place in Riga, it was attended by a centurion of people, among whom were deputies of the country’s parliament. This was announced on Wednesday, March 16, by the portal Delphi.
A cordon of police officers and special forces soldiers was set up along the march route, but no incidents were recorded. The event ended with the laying of flowers at the Freedom Monument.
The procession was led by the Lutheran priest Guntis Kalme, as well as politicians from the National Association.
The procession participants used ribbons and scarves in the colors of the Ukrainian flag, and also carried flags.
On March 11, the Minister of the Interior, Maria Golubeva, announced that the Latvian authorities had decided not to hold a procession in honor of Waffen SS legionnaires in Riga this year. According to her, the consent to the procession would allegedly give the Russian media additional grounds for accusations against Latvia.
The events of the unofficial day of the legionnaire are held on March 16 in Latvia every year – admirers of these “fighters for the freedom of Latvia” hold a solemn procession with the laying of flowers at the Freedom Monument.
The Latvian SS Legion was created by the command of Nazi Germany during the Second World War from two grenadier divisions under the personal command of the Reichsführer SS Heinrich Himmler.
On March 16, 1944, the legionnaires entered into battle with the Red Army near Pskov. Therefore, Legionnaires’ Day is celebrated on this day.
The event causes condemnation in Russia and many countries of the world. Moscow has repeatedly expressed concern over the organization of regular events in Latvia that justify Nazism. In May 2021, at the 38th session of the Working Group of the UN Council on Human Rights, the Russian delegation called for a ban on annual events honoring Waffen SS legionnaires in Riga.
At the same time, Russian President Vladimir Putin, during a meeting of the Russian organizing committee “Victory”, said that the country is increasingly faced with attempts to slander history, to reconsider the role of the Red Army in the victory over fascism. These attempts, he pointed out, are made by “all sorts of Russophobes.”
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