Nazi SS March in Latvia

An unchecked wave of anti-Semitic activity has been making its way across Europe in recent months, and troubling reports out of Eastern Europe suggest that Latvia has become a new harbor for this pernicious bias.

On March 16, hundreds of people participated in the annual march of the Remembrance Day of the Latvian Legionnaires—soldiers from the 15th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS and the 19th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS. Run by Heinrich Himmler, the SS was an elite paramilitary organization in Nazi Germany which was responsible for committing countless atrocities and war crimes during Hitler’s reign. The Latvian march, which celebrates the local veterans who served in SS divisions during WWII, is one of the only public events in Europe honoring those who fought in Hitler’s army.

Those participating in the march sang patriotic songs and laid wreaths for their fallen comrades at the Freedom Monument in Riga. They also marched to a nearby cemetery where many other veterans are buried. According to witnesses, the Police prohibited a counter protest by the group Latvia Without Fascism.

This march is the latest in a string of distressing anti-Semitic incidents that have cropped up all over Europe. What is more troubling, however, is the trend of governments not only sanctioning anti-Semitic activity, but sponsoring it as well.