STATEMENT OF PRESIDIUM OF THE INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS MOVEMENT «WORLD WITHOUT NAZISM»

International Rights movement «World without Nazism» expresses  its  perplexity and indignation concerning the decision put forward by the  Riga Administrative Court dated Juny 29, 2010, 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.