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AFP. 16 March 2002. Scuffles and arrests mark commemoration of Latvian SS unit. RIGA -- Several hundred people on Saturday defied a ban by authorities to commemorate Latvian soldiers fighting alongside Nazi troops against the Soviet occupation force during World War II. Veterans of the German-led Latvian Waffen SS unit converged to lay flowers at the Freedom Monument here in memory of their fallen comrades after plans for a formal march, which in the past has drawn strong opposition from Jewish organizations, were cancelled. The chairman of a small nationalist party, Aivars Garda, a publisher known for his anti-Russian views, was detained earlier in the day to prevent him from leading the ceremony. Several people, including a group of elderly women, were detained after scuffles broke out with police, but a spokesman declined to say how many people were currently being held. Veterans expressed dismay over the toning down of the ceremony, saying they objected to Latvia's ongoing "occupation" by Soviet-era Russian settlers, who make up about a third of the country's population of 2.4 million. "We agree with joining NATO and the European Union but there are still occupiers here, Latvia's de-occupation has still not occurred," said a veteran clad in the uniform of a pre-war Latvian paramilitary organization. In 1941, Latvia welcomed the invading Nazi troops as a liberating force from Soviet occupation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Barry Stoller http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ProletarianNews --------------------------- ANTI-NATO INFORMATION LIST ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: archive@jab.org EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.a9617B Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
