Hundreds of Latvian veterans who fought on the side of Nazi Germany in World War II have held a peaceful march in the capital, Riga.The veterans laid flowers at Riga's Freedom Monument. Police said about 1,000 people took part. The annual march is a flashpoint for tension between the veterans and ethnic Russians whose relatives fought against the Nazis. The veterans fought in a legion commanded by Nazi Germany's Waffen SS.
Hundreds of Latvian veterans who fought on the side of Nazi Germany in World War II have held a peaceful march in the capital, Riga.
The veterans laid flowers at Riga's Freedom Monument. Police said about 1,000 people took part.
The annual march is a flashpoint for tension between the veterans and ethnic Russians whose relatives fought against the Nazis.
The veterans fought in a legion commanded by Nazi Germany's Waffen SS.
On March 16th, Latvia (one of the three Baltic States, a former member of the Soviet Union) celebrates the establishment of the 15th and the 19th Latvian Waffen SS divisions. SS veterans and their young followers traditionally march along the streets of Riga, the nation's capital. Members of Russian-speaking and anti-fascist organizations protest against such meetings every year. The opposition often leads to clashes with the police and fights between political adversaries.
The tragedy of the baltic countries in WWII is that they were damned either way. The brainless should not be in banking -- Willem Buiter
Hence the membership in NATO. "The basis of optimism is sheer terror" - Oscar Wilde
David Cameron's rightwing 'allies' march in Riga to commemorate the SS
