STATEMENT

OF PRESIDIUM OF THE INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS MOVEMENT “WORLD WITHOUT NAZISM”

CONCERNING “THE NAZI DEMONSTRATION IN THE LATVIAN CAPITAL” 

International Rights movement “World without Nazism” expresses its perplexity and indignation concerning the decision put forward by the Riga Administrative Court dated July 29, 2009, allowing July 1st demonstration in honor of “Hitler’s army entry in Riga”. This act once again encourages the organizing of public actions and events dedicated to presenting German Nazi military as heroes.   

Most alarming is not the demonstration itself, organized by a group of the Nazi ideology followers, but the fact that it was sanctioned by the official authority – judicial branch. Thus, the Court did not stand united with the Riga authorities intending to stop Hitler’s glorifications, but de facto supported in the government’s name this cynical and disgusting event glorifying the beginning of the Latvia’s occupation by the Nazi Germany.  

At the very minimum, it proves that the actions of the neo-Nazi groups are taken with the connivance of the country’s judiciary branch. 

The Court’s decision is the logical and consistent result of the policy that aims to falsify history, and that is supported either directly or indirectly by the Latvian authorities.  

In accordance with such policy, Riga became the venue of annual parades honoring veterans of the Latvian Waffen SS legion; neo-Nazis, openly calling for ethnic profiling, get fully acquitted of all charges; partisans who fought against the Nazis are declared war criminals. 

It is unacceptable that the above-mentioned events/actions take place with the full connivance of the European Union, and they give evidence to the fact that the political structures of the united Europe deliberately ignore the Nazism rehabilitation in the Baltic countries.  European Union openly disregards the UN General Assembly resolutions condemning “organizing of the public demonstrations aimed at glorification of the Nazi past, Nazi movement and neo-Nazism” (A/RES/64/147 December 19, 2009).  The United Nations documents clearly point out that “…lack of active actions on behalf of a country’s authorities to counter such practices is incompatible with the obligations of the countries – members of the United Nations.”  

In this sense, European Union’s leniency towards the processes of re-writing of the World War II history and increase of the nationalistic and revanchist sentiments in the Eastern Europe should be subjected to the collective responsibility for Latvian Court decision.

International Right Movement “World without Nazism” believes that the factual solidarity of the Latvian judicial authorities with Hitler’s followers creates a dangerous precedent allowing the possibility of acknowledging Latvia as an ally of the Nazi bloc that lost the war with all ensuing judicial consequences in accordance with the decisions of the Nuremberg tribunal.      

We are satisfied with the reaction of the Latvian President and government condemning the Court’s decision, and we are hopeful that this incident will initiate some real steps, including legal, towards counteracting the growth of the neo-Nazism in this country.