Latvian Nazis Desecrated a Wreath to the Victims of Hitler Nazis

Yuri Alexeyev (text & photos)


9:00 a.m. A wreath in the memory of the victims of Hitler Nazism is being placed to the Monument of Freedom.

Usually, Nazis have their holiday in Latvia this day, yet this time antifascists decided to place a wreath to the monument, for edification. There was made a proper advance application, and due permission was issued. The procession includes:

Efraim Zuroff, Director of the Simon Wiesenthal Center (Israel),
Hermann Dvorzak, leader of the European Social Forum (Austria),
Monica Lowenberg, professor of the University of Sussex (UK),
Dovid Katz, ex-professor of the Vilnius University, owner of DefendingHistory.com (USA/Lithuania),
Joel Rubinfeld, president of the European Jewish Parliament (Belgium),
Joseph Koren, president of the association “Latvia without Nazism”,
Helmut Scholz, EP deputy (Germany),
Tatjana Ždanoka (Tatyana Zhdanok), EP deputy (Latvia).




9:05 a.m. Tatiana Zhdanok and Joseph Koren are placing the wreath to the monument.




9:06 a.m. The caption reads: “In the memory of Nazism victims”.




9:30 a.m. A sight of the square from above. Police and young people, ordered but with still folded flags.




10:30 a.m. A permitted anti-fascist picket behind the barriers. They behave quietly, yet the police is on the alert.




11:00 a.m. Latvian Nazis covered the wreath with the inscription “In the memory of Nazism victims” by a plywood stand with enlarged chevron of the Latvian SS Legion.

It is evident the plywood stand is hammered hastily, the nails stick out. The wreath to the Nazism victims is used as a support for the stand. The mourning ribbon with the inscription “In the memory of Nazism victims” has disappeared.




11:10 a.m. Tatiana Zhdanok and Joseph Koren has come from behind the barriers, from the zone assigned for antifascists. They put the fucking plywood away trying to find the ribbon with the inscription “In the memory of Nazism victims”.




11:15 a.m. The mourning ribbon is found. Bruised and crumpled, it is has been taken from under the wreath…



11:16 a.m. Tatiana and Joseph are trying to straighten it and place it upon the wreath again…




11:17 a.m. A Latvian Nazi “bull” jumps out.



Here follows a video (taken by our speaker Dmitry Katemirov).



Notes to the video (for those who do not understand Latvian):

Tatiana Zhdanok and Iosif Koren are trying to straighten the crumpled ribbon. A Nazi “bull” appears. The “bull”: “Take it away! We have this coordinated!..” (meaning the plywood stand) By the way, it is worth checking out, if the plywood stand, which covered the wreath to the Nazism victims, was “coordinated”. And where? And WHO APPROVED?

The second Nazi bull appears and starts to pull out the ribbon from the hands of Joseph Koren. Iosif does not give it. The wreath is covered with the plywood again… More power struggle for the unfortunate mourning ribbon. Voices from the group of foreign journalists: “It is not 1943 any longer!.. Your time is over! What are you doing?! I am from Austria; Europe is not a place for Nazis today!”

A policeman appears, he speaks Latvian with a heavy Russian accent: “Missis Zhdanok, please leave this place!” He does not touch the Nazi “bulls”. The policeman pushes aside anti-fascists and journalists. At this time Nazi “bulls” close the wreath with their plywood again… Then the policeman goes away, and the “bulls” take the morning ribbon off the wreath and throw it on the asphalt behind.

Then (it was not captured on video, but I swear I heard and saw it) the first Nazi “bull” speaks to a small microphone on a lapel of his jacket (just like in those CIA movies): “Send two girls here, quickly, we have to put all in order.”

Two girls appear in no time and cover the wreath with the SS symbol. The mourning ribbon is pushed under the wreath.




11:25 a.m. The “call-girls” are making the Aryan order.




11:30 a.m. A column of the SS legionaries and sympathizers appears.




11:35 a.m. Deputies of the Latvian Saeima (Parliament) from the ruling coalition are in the forefront.




11:38 a.m. An old SS-man, the pride of the country. ClaSSics.




11:55 a.m. The heroes of modern Latvia.




12:10 p.m. An intelligently looking policeman with a Russian surname on his breast openly takes video of the anti-fascist picket behind iron barriers.
He does not seem to enjoy it greatly. I want to hope in this very much...

My personal note to the video: I tell the truth; for 21 year of journalistic work I have already brought up in myself some professional dispassionateness from the events I observe. Say, my work is to show and write, so that EVERYBODY can see. But if this time I knew that the event is being captured by someone else from OUR PEOPLE I would throw my camera and crush the muzzle of this Nazi “bull”. My hands are shivering till now. A healthy beast behind whose back there were 15 to 20 more “bulls” of the same kind (they stood nearby), pulls out a mourning ribbon from a small woman Tatiana and an elderly man Iosif…

It is a total bullshit, forgive my emotions. There were pretty many OUR PEOPLE there, and some of them were guys strong enough. But they all stood at some distance, behind a two-layer barrier (of iron and policemen). They did not even see what was going on there, at the monument…

To the policeman with a strong Russian accent (there was his surname on his breast, but I am not going to publicize it): hey buddy, we understand you have to fed your family and there is no other job… But we would help, at least initially. How come you act this way, man?..