Politic?: Heroic Pride in Latvian SS Battalion

"They are honouring an SS unit whose members were involved in atrocities."
"This year in particular there is an amazing lack of understanding of the damage a march like this does to the unity of NATO and the nations standing for democracy."
Marvin Rotrand, national director, B'nai Brith Canada

"Canada has consistently supported Latvia's freedom and independence, and condemns those who would co-opt those sentiments to promote hatred, extremism, and division."
"To our understanding, these events are neither sanctioned nor attended by the Latvian government."
Global Affairs Canada

"[It is] utterly sad [the parade was back on in Riga, Latvia]."
"That they would this year again be gifted the historic centre of the capital is a folly rife with poor judgment and even poorer ethics."
Dovid Katz, editor, Defending History, Holocaust journal studies

A veteran of the Latvian Legion, a force that was commanded by the German Nazi Waffen-SS during the Second World War, places flowers at the Monument of Freedom in Riga, Latvia on March 16, 2019. Some see the parade as glorifying Nazism because the Legion, founded in 1943, was commanded by Germany's Waffen-SS, the armed wing of the Nazi party's Schutzstaffel SS. Photo by ILMARS ZNOTINS /AFP/Getty Images

It is nothing but heedless at this time when Russia has invaded Ukraine, an East European neighbour of both, under the pretext of rescuing Ukrainians from the 'nazis' and 'racists' and 'right-wing' gangs Moscow claims govern Ukraine. There is also the presence of the Azov Division along with other far-right Ukrainian militia groups who revere their alliance with Nazi Germany as adjuncts to the Nazi SS battalions that fought during the Second World War, and of course, slaughtered European Jews.

The yearly commemoration meant to honour Latvia's seconded citizens to fight alongside regular German SS groups, by veterans and their families and supporters of the ethnic Latvian SS battalions is not an official Latvian event, but the government of Latvia does nothing to deter the yearly celebration, issuing a permit for the parade to proceed, attended by several hundred people. The intervention in the past two years was by nature, when COVID restrictions cancelled the event.

Latvia's SS Legion being honoured to this very day for its dedication to the Nazi ideology, bringing glory in its participation in war and mass murder should be a matter of shame, but evidently it is not. Latvian TV reported the event, attended by hundreds of participants on Wednesday. It is hardly surprising that Jewish groups continue to condemn the yearly support of Hitler's policies and exploits, glorifying those who took part in the Holocaust.

It does give heft to Vladimir Putin's spurious assertions, however, that the Russian military had a moral obligation to invade Ukraine for the purpose of "de-Nazifying" the country. There is also the unfortunate reality that in the years since World War Two ended, eastern European nations saw fit to build monuments to the nationalist leaders who were happy to fight the Soviet Union; many of the leaders being Nazi collaborators, some actively participating in the mass butchery of the Holocaust.

SS units were drawn from the ethnic populations in Lithuania, Latvia, Ukraine and Estonia.

Officials in Latvia praise the SS; their argument is that members of the legion are to be viewed as national heroes for fighting Russia and none among them were involved in the Holocaust. When, in fact, in those countries occupied by Germany during the war, it was not the least bit difficult to find the historical reality documenting deadly mass pogroms carried out by these same groups against their nationals who happened to be Jews.

Photo: Ivans Milovs/Latvijas Televīzija

"The pride of the Latvian people and of the state", was how Latvian Defence Minister Artiz Pabriks referred to his country's SS members. "It is our duty to honour these Latvian patriots from the depths of our soul." A sentiment and statement that Canadian government and military officials decided not to condemn. Even while, through its NATO membership, Canada has a contingent of 540 troops and military trainers in Latvia to 'guard against' any potential Russian plans to invade the Baltics.

In 2019, Global Affairs Canada through its spokesperson stated that Canada was "strongly opposed to the glorification of Nazism and all forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, intolerance and extremism. That is why we condemn the parade to commemorate the Latvian SS Brigade held in Latvia on March 16th". Now there is silence on the ongoing issue, coinciding with the tension in Europe and beyond, with Russia's military campaign in Ukraine.

The reality is that the Latvian SS Legion was represented by hard-core Nazi collaborators who took their place with enthusiastic pride as helpers in the Holocaust. Viktors Arajs, a Legion officer liked to refer to himself as "Arajs, the Latvian Jew-killer". The best way to kill Jewish babies, according to him, was simply to toss a Jewish child into the air and shoot them in mid-air, avoiding potential ricochets.