Latvia: Waffen SS veterans’ commemorative march in Riga

published 16/03/13 at 23:26 CET

The annual march to honour Latvia’s World War II Waffen SS divisions, part of the armed wing of Adolf Hitler’s Nazi party, always attracts some criticism.

This year, critics of the commemorative event protested during the event. They believe it distorts history – honouring Nazism and insulting victims of the regime.

But the veterans, now in their 80s and 90s, the men say they were fighting for Latvian freedom and against the return of the Soviet Red Army – which occupied Latvia before the war.

Followed by supporters carrying national flags, they walked through the city to lay flowers at the central Freedom Monument.

Despite the protest, a police spokeswoman said the event passed peacefully. Around 3,000 people took part this year.