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German anti-fascists face down pro-Nazi Latvian demonstrators in Riga

MARCH 17, 2016 05:20

Several German anti-fascists were arrested in Latvia this week after arriving to protest an annual march by former Nazi collaborators and their supporters.

The marchers, whose ranks included a number parliamentarians, made their way through the capital city of Riga on Wednesday in an annual show of support for the anti-Soviet Latvian Legion – a locally raised unit of the Waffen-SS.

Five members of the Berlin-based Association of Persecutees of the Nazi Regime/ Federation of Anti-Fascists (VVN-BdA) – Thomas Willms, Markus Tervooren, Günther Hoppe, Lothar Eberhard and Werner Müller – were detained by Latvian officials after landing in Riga on Tuesday, the group claimed. In addition, the organization’s leader, Cornelia Kerth, was denied permission to enter the country and was prevented from boarding an Air Baltic flight from Germany.

In a statement released on the day prior to the march, the group accused Latvian authorities of “repression” against Latvian protesters.

“For years, the march of Waffen-SS admirers enjoys the protection of the Latvian government. The few anti-fascists who protest against the right deployment will be handled by politicians and the media as enemies of the state,” the VVN-BdA accused, adding that the five detained protesters were given a choice of deportation or two-days incarceration.

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