Friday, February 16, 2024

Democracy in Latvia? Court orders the termination of the activity of the Latvian Workers' Front

Since the dissolution of the  Soviet Union, the newly “independent” Baltic countries, namely Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania, have adopted anti-communism as an official state ideology. 
 
Communist Parties have been banned, communists are persecuted for their activity, while Nazi collaborators (e.g. Estonian Waffen-SS) and fascist groups are being rehabilitated with honours. The governments of the Baltic states, under the auspices of the European Union, have championed in the distortion of history, especially the one of the Second World War
 
Recently, Riga's Regional Court ordered the termination of the activity of the “Latvian Workers' Front” (Latvijas Strādnieku fronte), following a request by the Prosecutor General's office. The decision was taken on the basis of the Law on Associations and Foundations, taking into account the opinion of the State Security Service and other information obtained about the said association's “action against the Latvian state system and democratic values” as well as “glorification of communist ideology”!

Furthermore, the court decided that the group consists a “threat to national security” because it “uses undemocratic and unconstitutional means to achieve its goals”. Apparently, Latvian authorities perceive as “national security” the stability of the capitalist system in the country and the exploitation of the working class.

Going back to 2019, we read in the news: “Latvians march to honor troops who fought alongside Nazis”. Among others, the news article reads: 

“About 1,000 people gathered in the Latvian capital Riga for an annual march by local veterans and supporters of two Nazi SS divisions that made up the Latvian Legion during World War II. Marchers paraded with Nazis insignias and other flags, laying wreaths on the Freedom Monument, while some 50 anti-fascist demonstrators protested the gathering. The march was larger than in years past, reflecting the growing popularity of far-right movements in eastern and central Europe. The march in Latvia, a member of the NATO alliance and the European Union, is currently the only public event in Europe and beyond honoring people who fought under the banner of SS, Nazi Germany’s elite security force”.

Question in the European Parliament

The undemocratic decision of the Riga Regional Court to terminate the activity of the “Latvian Workers Front” was brought to the European Parliament by the Communist Party of Greece (KKE).

In a question addressed to the European Commission, KKE MEP Lefteris Nikolaou Alavanos underlines, among others, that “along with the rest of the Baltic states, Latvia is leading the EU's anti-communist campaign by glorifying Nazi collaborators and rewriting history through slanders about “Soviet occupation”. It has also a leading role in the collective punishment of thousands of people who were “citizens of the USSR in Latvia” and are now considered as “non citizens” thus depriving them of basic rights”.