Ein Beispiel für die Reaktionen der lettischen Presse auf die Ereignisse
rund um den Aufmarsch der SS-Veteranen in Riga: Ein Artikel von Valdis
Girgensons, Korrespondent der "Lietuvos rytas" in Riga
(With a Reuters picture of last year’s SS legionnaires’
march).
[The 16th of March was declared an official commemoration
day, but the highest Latvian officials are not going to participate in
the events. President Ulmanis, the Latvian Minister of Foreign Affairs
Valdis Birkavs and the Saeima (parliament) Chairman Janis Straume will
spend this day outside Latvia. Last year there had been an incident when
the police dispersed an unsanctioned demonstration of pensioners; this
had negative consequences on the Latvian relationships with Russia.]
Latvian Politicians Avoid Contradictory Holiday:
Half of the Government left
Many socially active people said the leading politicians committed
betrayal vis-a-vis the Latvian people. It was officially announced that more
than half of the Cabinet of Ministers and a third of the Saeima deputies
were outside Latvia.
Regrets for decision
Ulmanis officially declared he regretted last week that he
had announced March 16th the Latvian Soldiers’ Commemoration Day. The
National Soldiers’ Council was very astonished at this statement. A part
of the former soldiers think that if there was such an opinion, the
fighters may never hear a firm statement from the government about the
SS Latvian legion. In the beginning of the national rebirth, many
Latvian politicians actively participated in the events organized by the
legionnaires and so earned the confidence of a part of the voters. The
National Soldiers’ Council considers the Latvian legionnaires have been
once more betrayed. According to the soldiers, the difficulties in
explaining the complicated newest history of Latvia caused the
capitulation of the present politicians.
It’s worth to remember the soldiers
After the re-establishment of independence, nobody in Latvia
doubted that the legionnaires deserved attention from the state.
[Ulmanis was one of those who supported the former soldiers. - Last year
before March 16th the high-ranking officials were told not to
participate in the events for the SS Latvian legionnaires. The head of
the Armed Forces Juris Dalbins lost his post last year after violating
this order. ...]
Now in Latvia March 25th is approaching, the day to honor those
who were tortured to death by the Soviet regime. The Latvian
legionnaires were among those who fought this regime. So far no Latvian
politician has refused to participate in the events organized on this
day.
Latvians are no SS-men
The SS Latvian legion was the largest military formation in
the Latvian history. About 70,000 soldiers fought for the Latvian
independence after the First World War. When Germany occupied Latvia for
the second time, more than 100,000 Latvian youngsters were taken into
the German army. After the cruel Soviet rule, some of the young men
followed the German propaganda and joined the Latvian legion as
volunteers. As the volunteers were not numerous enough, the service in
the German army was declared compulsory. Almost half of the legionnaires
was killed in battles or tortured to death in Siberia. About 10,000
continued the hard battle against the Soviet regime after the war.
The Western allies in principle acknowledge that the Latvian
legion did not belong to the SS army, so the legionnaires could emigrate
to other countries without obstacles and obtain the status of refugees.
However, this fact is often forgotten, and the Latvian legionnaires are
being called SS-men.
"Lietuvos rytas" March 16 (No 60)
haGalil onLine -
Donnerstag 18-03-99 |