The Latvian parliament this Thursday passed a law banning festive events, public gatherings or marches in public areas on May 9, the date of the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazism in World War II, EFE reported.
Events that do not conflict with “the interests of the state and public security” or with Latvia’s values as a democratic state that glorifies war or totalitarianism are exempt from the ban, the statement from the Latvian parliament said.
“Everyone knows that May 9 is a day when a certain section of society tends to glorify totalitarianism and occupation regimes”said Ieva Brante, chair of the parliament’s human rights and public affairs committee, which was responsible for the initiative.
“It is in our interest to prevent events that undermine our values, divide society, glorify military aggression and promote misrepresentation of historical events”he further justified.
In many countries with a Soviet past, May 9, Victory Day over Nazi Germany, is celebrated with parades and other public demonstrations.
In recent years, especially since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have pushed for the dismantling of Soviet monuments and tried to avoid public events honoring the Soviet Union, creating tensions with ethnic minorities of Russian descent. three states in those countries.
The three states gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, after nearly five decades of Soviet rule, and have been members of the European Union (EU) and NATO ever since.
Source: DN
