Nazi veterans in Latvia march to remember fallen comrades

Holocaust is a term that strictly applies to the Jewish victims who were murdered in cold blood by the Nazis. What happened to Ukrainians also happened to other Soviet nationalities such as Byelorussians, Georgians, Armenians, and Meskheti Turks who were deported to Siberia en mass! Stalin never singled out Ukrainians for complete annihilation, the way Jews were in Europe. Don?t compare the holocaust to atrocities committed by Joseph Stalin. There were no comprehensive systematic plans to exterminate Ukrainians. In another words to wipe them out completely from the face of the earth! But Hitler and the Nazi party in Germany did have such plans for the Jews and they scrupulously carried them out. Nazis committed genocide in Eastern Europe, no doubt! For example, gypsies, polish officers and intelligencia, and Russian prisoners war were also killed. However holocaust scholars wish to preserve the dignity and the sanctity of the term holocaust for the Jewish victims, because strictly for them plans and processes, tools and instruments of destruction were intensified.

Unfortunately for your position, the Ukrainians had no option at all, and your suggestion that they could have joined a kolkhoz is just ridiculous. The Russians impounded all grain and other harvest and prevented the Ukrainians from leaving if they tried to leave. The Ukrainians had no more chance of escaping than the Jews. Is it that hard to admit that killing gentiles is not a serious issue to you, only Jews?

The Ukrainians had a choice, they could join a kolkhoz to avoid Siberia, we had no such luxury. We were killed because we were Jews, and to dd insult to injure the killers parade as heroes.

It is about numbers. Stalin killed at least twice as many people as Hitler, and, as I said, killed more Ukrainians in one year than Hitler killed Jews. Of course this doesn't matter to you since to you killing gentiles is not a serious offense - killing Jews is.

I was watching the news about this ridiculous event, and lo and behold, who do I see walking in the march?... linwaithe, durson, labrhas, silvienne, dutch, don boston, lincoln, mark of lewiston, and cj. anyhow, someone should have shot them all as they were marching...they deserve no less those old scum.

2 wrongs dont make a right. Its not about numbers, its about voluteering to kill innocent civilians at the behest of the Nazis and parading as heroes. Get it?

I'm NOT defending SS. I'm only mature enough to dismiss one-sided view of history. Latvians joining SS possibly didn't care about Jews or Poles, and I can't blame them for that, given the fact that they were terrorized by Soviets only. Of course I'm assuming that those Latvian SS veterans were just regular front soldiers. (It's hard to believe that all of them were concentration camps crew, don't you think?)

Three million of your fellow Poles were exterminated by the Nazi's, and the whole of Poland was mapped out to be a country of slaves working exclusively for the Nazis, as Poles were regarded as a sub human. And you defend the SS. Nice one !

Ignorance everywhere. The only organized units that Latvians could join to fight Soviets weres in fact SS units. Wehrmacht was only for German citizens. Still, it's even bigger ignorance to think that SS were the only German formation responsible for war crimes (or shooting Jews - cause you seem to be only interested in that). The crimes of Soviets in the Baltic states were much bigger than the crimes of Germans, so I'm really surprised there are ANY controversies at all about those Latvian SS veterans.

It is rather excessive to say that entire countries have nothing to offer the world. Are you sure they have not one single redeeming grace or trait? Also, when you speak about unspeakable acts of cruelty and viciousness, have you read of what Russia did in the Ukraine? Remember, if you are looking at murdering the innocent, Russia killed more Ukrainians in one year than HItler killed Jews. Are Ukrainians worth less than Jews?

Baltic states with the exception of Estonia, have nothing to offer to our world except past Nazis who murdered innocent Jews during the WWII. They committed unspeakable acts of cruelty and viciousness. To allow these murderous animal walk in the street of Latvia is disgraceful.

Would you have said the same about people in conquered countries who stayed neutral instead of fighting Hitler? I doubt it. As to the mission of the SS, any objective history would tell you they were among the fiercest fighters in the German military against Russia. Again, as I said, Stalin was at least a great monster and tyrant as HItler. Why was fighting against one any worse than fighting against the other?

To join one despot's army to fight another despot's is a mistaken notion at best, a notion of agreement with that despot's ideology at worst. Stalin may have been worse for Latvia then Hitler at the time, but Latvians had the option of remaining neutral when Hitler's army conquered Latvia. By joining Hitler's war, they aligned themselves with his policies. Especially those who joined the Waffen SS, instead of simply Wermacht. Wermacht's official mission was to fight the Russians. Waffen SS - was the clean-up squad that followed close behind and massacred jews, communists and any potential opposition. There is a BIG difference between fighting Stalin (for example, like the Fins did) and joining up with Hitler - like the Latvians.

some of the latvian SS members were worse than the germans. many of them did not "fight against stalin" as the previous talkbaker suggested but were activly engaged in shooting, raping and killing jews all over eastern Europe. Latvian SS murderes joined the ranks of many "Einsatzgruppen" that murdered Jews from Latvia down to countries like Lithuania, Belarus, Poland, Ukraine and wartime "Transnistria"/Romania (nowadys Ukraine).

Stalin was just as much a monster as HItler (perhaps more) and a total enemy of Latvia. Why should a Latvian not fight against him?

They fought against Stalin. Was HItler any worse than Stalin? Which was a greater enemy to Latvia and oppressed it more? There were no good guys in WWII.

Fortunately these dinosaurs will be extinct. Hopefully their children and grandchildren are a little more enlightened............