The Latvian Legion
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- thebattwoman
- solkin
- orknexus
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» thebattwoman - Well...
you learn something new everyday. I never realised the Latvian involvement with the Nazi's.Interesting Scott - thanks!
-- posted by thebattwoman
» solkin - responsibilty
The idea that "the Latvians were vindicated" because "they were cleared of any war crimes in 1950" is naive in the extreme. War crimes trials aren't about justice they can neither vindicate or condemn whole peoples. The trails of the 1950 refelect the desire of the US to forget the crimes and mobilise against communism - the Austrians were similarly "vindicated" and this has contributed to the re-emergence of the far right in Austria. Only individuals can be held responsible not whole peoples - some individual Latvians were responsible for war crimes - the idea that they should now be allowed to proclaim their actions in public is a reflection that they were not held accountable.-- posted by solkin
» orknexus - Re Latvian Legion
Not quite so.Author writes:
"In 1998, Latvian Legion veterans marched through the streets of Riga commemorating their service in a right-wing celebration."
This is not true. Or, say, this is not exactly what happened.
A bounch of old men and relatives of once killed legion soldiers came to the Liberty Monument in Riga to put flowers in memory of their friends and relatives.
Russia's and local Russian-speaking mass media (which are pro-ex-Soviet and pro-Moscow, leftist hardliners, so to say) blew out of it the dreaded "SS March" and "right-wing celebration", which they keep on chanting from then on.
This, actually, is nothing else than a Cold War style information war, where Moscow is attacking its weaker neighbors - Baltic states and Poland.
I would also qualify it as a "hate speach".
Leftist groups also are now constantly setting up provocations - tring to initiate violance, so that Russian TV has something to show about how bad Latvians are.
Also, did you know, that the same Latvian "Nazis" were guarding Nazi inmates in Nuremberg War Crimes Trials? And that they later helped to operate the Berlin Airlift, when Stalin decided to take Berlin?
-- posted by orknexus
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