Latvian PM vows to sack ministers over Nazi march

Latvian Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis said on Wednesday he would dismiss his Cabinet ministers if they decided to take part in events commemorating the Latvian Waffen SS. Former members of the Latvian Waffen SS Legion and their supporters annually hold demonstrations involving several hundred people on March 16. The minister of culture and the minister of justice in the Latvian government represent the All for Latvia radical nationalist bloc, which views ex-Latvian Nazis as fighters for the country’s liberation from the Soviet occupation in 1940. “During talks with All for Latvia representatives, I clearly stated that government ministers are not allowed to take part in these [March 16] events, and both ministers promised they will not do it,” Dombrovskis said. He added that the ministers will be sacked if they go back on their word. Some 140,000 Latvian men fought against the Soviet Union on the side of Nazi Germany during the Second World War. Latvian Legion Day on March 16 was made an official remembrance day in Latvia in 1998, but it was abolished in 2000 as it created a deep rift within the Latvian society and sparked anti-fascist protests worldwide.