Latvia bans Nazi, Soviet symbols at public events

[Baluarte]

Bill partly sparked by annual pro-Soviet rallies by the country’s large Russian-speaking populace

RIGA, Latvia (AP) — Latvia’s Parliament has approved a ban on the public display of Soviet and Nazi symbols, including swastikas and the hammer and sickle, and the singing and promotion of fascist and communist anthems and ideologies.

Lawmakers approved the bill 56-0, with 44 lawmakers abstaining or absent. It will become law after President Andris Berzins signs it, expected next month.

The bill was partly sparked by annual pro-Soviet rallies organized by the country’s large Russian-speaking populace, and frowned upon by ethnic Latvians after five decades of Soviet occupation.

Latvia regained its independence in 1991 after a troubled history of being occupied twice by the Soviet Union and once briefly by Nazi Germany.

Some 250,000 Latvians fought alongside either the Germans or the Soviets during World War II.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press

[SkyBurn]

Lol, you just opened like 8 different threads in less than an hour xD

[Baluarte]

Lol, you just opened like 8 different threads in less than an hour xD

?

Posting the most relevant news of the day as usual!

[riverman]

Makes sense.

[Szegedist]

Welcome to the club! :)

[Styggnacke]

I disagree with it, but it's understandable.

[sevruk]

this is so funny, as if there are no other problems in Latvia.
I would banned EU symbols:
http://cs313616.vk.me/v313616529/15de/Z3G7UCcv9bo.jpg

[Styggnacke]

this is so funny, as if there are no other problems in Latvia.
I would banned EU symbols:
Latvia wasn't part of EU until 2004. You might aswell then ban the Russian flag, since Russia has been a demographic catastrophe since the fall of the Soviet Union.

[sevruk]

Latvia wasn't part of EU until 2004. You might aswell then ban the Russian flag, since Russia has been a demographic catastrophe since the fall of the Soviet Union.

much smaller than in Latvia, and now situation is much better than in Latvia (and even than in Sweden)
http://demoscope.ru/weekly/2008/0323/img/b_graf01.gif

[Pure ja]

this is so funny, as if there are no other problems in Latvia.
I would banned EU symbols:
http://cs313616.vk.me/v313616529/15de/Z3G7UCcv9bo.jpg

This is so funny, coming from Russia, which is contemplating on making it illegal to criticize the three pillars of the soviet regime wreaking havoc in the Soviet Russia / USSR and in abroad: NKVD/KGB/FSB, the Soviet Army and the communist party.

[RussiaPrussia]

Latvia wasn't part of EU until 2004. You might aswell then ban the Russian flag, since Russia has been a demographic catastrophe since the fall of the Soviet Union.

russia has 17 million legal or not legal immigrants not counted in the statistics, if it would the population would be 155 million or something.

[RussiaPrussia]

This is so funny, coming from Russia, which is contemplating on making it illegal to criticize the three pillars of the soviet regime wreaking havoc in the Soviet Russia / USSR and in abroad: NKVD/KGB/FSB, the Soviet Army and the communist party.

where does he say that ussr shouldnt be critized he says eu flag should be banned as well. You're drinking too much or something.

[Pure ja]

this is so funny, as if there are no other problems in Latvia.
I would banned EU symbols:


The population rise was all soviet immigrants / colonists. The population of ethnic latvians stayed roughly the same.

The fall was mostly about ex-soviet colonists in the 1990s and mostly emigration in the 2000s. When comparing with the population dynamics of Finland (or just using common sense), it becomes evident that the population reduction after the soviet collapse IS STILL caused by the aftereffects of the soviet occupation. Population dynamics can be slow and have a long delay.

[Pure ja]

where does he say that ussr shouldnt be critized he says eu flag should be banned as well. You're drinking too much or something.

Reread what sevruk wrote. And what I wrote in reply.

[(s)AINT]

Good, they should be banned everywhere in the world.

[Mason8]

Latvia should work on revitalizing the Livonian language. That is a major concern, not Latvia being occupied by either Nazi Germany or the Soviet Union. That is in the past, Latvia is now an independent country.

[(s)AINT]

Lol, you just opened like 8 different threads in less than an hour xD

Don't you just hate when people do that.

[Aunt Hilda]

I'm surprised they didn't do this in 1991

[Manuel]

...

Pointless. You give ammunition to Nazis and Communists to play the victim...

[Baluarte]

I'm surprised they didn't do this in 1991

Would you also like them to pass a law making it a criminal offence to question the official truth regarding the Shoah? :cool:

[Manuel]

^
Victim of the Zionist conspiracy to silence the immaculate scholarship of holocaust deniers?

I think so.

Seriously though, censorship is quite damaging...

[Inti]

Latvia’s Parliament has approved a ban on the public display of Soviet and Nazi symbols, including swastikas and the hammer and sickle, and the singing and promotion of fascist and communist anthems and ideologies.

The army of 80,000 soldiers consisting of Latvians mostly (Latviešu strēlnieki) supported the Bolsheviks during the Russian civil war. Latvians helped the Reds to build a socialist state with the communist party in power, while people of other ethnicities battled the Reds.

SS-legion (Latviešu leģion) consisting of Latvian conscripts was formed during WWII. Latvians supported the Nazis during WWII.

I wonder if the symbol of EU will be banned by Latvian politicians should the union fail in 50-70 years ?

I am sarcastic. :) I think it's good Latvians banned the symbols. But it seems to me that Latvian politicians are focusing on issues that are controversial but in reality have little or no effect on people in order to divert attention from more important issues they can't deal with such as economy and better living standards for people.

[Pure ja]

The army of 80,000 soldiers consisting of Latvians mostly (Latviešu strēlnieki) supported the Bolsheviks during the Russian civil war. Latvians helped the Reds to build a socialist state with the communist party in power, while people of other ethnicities battled the Reds.

SS-legion (Latviešu leģion) consisting of Latvian conscripts was formed during WWII. Latvians supported the Nazis during WWII.

I wonder if the symbol of EU will be banned by Latvian politicians should the union fail in 50-70 years ?

I am sarcastic. :) I think it's good Latvians banned the symbols. But it seems to me that Latvian politicians are focusing on issues that are controversial but in reality have little or no effect on people in order to divert attention from more important issues they can't deal with such as economy and better living standards for people.

There is a very simple reason - because Russia has started to slide back to its soviet / derzhavist past again and fuels conflicts within the former parts of the Russian Empire/USSR. It is high time to treat both nazi and soviet criminal regimes as equally criminal, to put a stop to this.

Those russians in Latvia / Estonia are actually even more bizzare when hoisting both the soviet flags and also carrying Georgi ribbons - the soviet regime annihilated the Russian Empire, but to many russians in the Baltics and in Russia itself both represent the glory of Derzhavist Russian Empire. USSR was just a little bit different kind of empire, but still derzhavist, it seems. One should remember that it all started with Soviet Russia.

[Pure ja]

The army of 80,000 soldiers consisting of Latvians mostly (Latviešu strēlnieki) supported the Bolsheviks during the Russian civil war. Latvians helped the Reds to build a socialist state with the communist party in power, while people of other ethnicities battled the Reds.


Nothing is black and white.
Since the start of 1918, most of the Latvian Red Rifles wanted to fight for independent noncommunist Latvia, but they could do that only by deserting from the ranks in battles. And against the Estonian national troops in 1919, they did desert and many of them started to fight against the Reds.