Artis Pabriks

Defence Minister Artis Pabriks has sent a letter to the Security Police with a request to assess the activities of the Russian community in Latvia. According to the minister, this organization needs to be «shut down», Latvijas Avīze (Latvian Newspaper) writes.

Pabriks is angry at this organization for the map and the contents of the organization’s official website. He notes that this organization is overflowing with «anti-government, anti-European, radical Russian nationalism, imperialistic revanchism and hidden anti-Semitism».

The DM managed to get its hands on some copy of a map (prepared to be printed in 2 000 issues). The name of the map is «The Map of the Great Patriotic War in Latvia. 490 monuments and soldiers’ burials».

There is not criticism regarding the map itself and pictures of the monuments, rather the text, which, according to the minister, is rousing nationalistic hate: «The text describes Nazism and Fascism to be affiliated with Europe; Latvia is described as territory belonging to Russia, not Europe. National partisans are called unbeaten Nazis. Russian war losses are stated clearly, but the Jews are left for the very end. Latvia’s territory is believed to be owned by Russians since ancient times. When I, as a qualified historian, looked at the organization’s website, I had my hair stand. All of it is one big falsification, starting from Livonian and Crusader wars.»

There are statements like «soldiers that were tortured by European occupants», «the European occupants failed to have a swift stroll», «European slavers», «people were tortured in European ghettos», «victims of the refined European system».

Ref: 103.109.109.3109