Pērkonkrusts ( Latvian pronunciation: [ˈpæːr.kuɔn.krusts] , " Thunder Cross") was a Latvian ultranationalist , anti-German , anti-Slavic , and antisemitic political party founded in 1933 by Gustavs Celmiņš , borrowing elements of German nationalism —but being unsympathetic to Nazism at the time—and Italian Fascism . It was outlawed in 1934, its leadership arrested, and Celmiņš eventually exiled in 1937. Still-imprisoned members were persecuted under the first Soviet occupation; some collaborated with subsequently invading Nazi Germany forces in perpetrating the Holocaust . Pērkonkrusts continued to exist in some form until 1944, when Celmiņš, who had initially returned to work in the occupying German administration, was imprisoned.
51-644: Following the restoration of Latvia's independence in 1991, a new radical nationalist movement, also called Pērkonkrusts , was formed in 1995. The organization espouses many of the same values as its predecessor. Members have participated in efforts to bomb the Monument to the Liberators of Soviet Latvia and Riga from the German Fascist Invaders several times, leading to the arrest, trial and imprisonment of many of its members. Since around 2000,
102-758: A Sonderführer in the service of the German Wehrmacht . In early July, Pērkonkrusts was briefly permitted to operate openly again. Former Pērkonkrusts members were actively sought by the German authorities as volunteers for the Arajs Commando . According to research by historian Rudīte Vīksne, however, there were only a handful of members of Pērkonkrusts who played a role in the Holocaust in Latvia , their activities focused more on propaganda. During
153-467: A 79-metre tall obelisk that consisted of five columns topped by five-pointed star , and two groups of sculptures – Homeland the Mother ( Dzimtene-māte , Родина-мать ) and a band of three soldiers. The monument was the subject of long-standing controversy in modern Latvian society, concerning the historical memory of World War II and the legacy of Soviet rule. Many ethnic Latvians regarded it not as
204-497: A Latvian Latvia there will only be Latvians. Pērkonkrusts rejected Christianity as a foreign influence and suggested instead adopting Dievturība , which was an attempt to revive an assumed pre-Christian Latvian religion. Despite its rural ideals, Pērkonkrusts gained most of its support in the urban areas like Riga , Cēsis , Valmiera , Jelgava , more specifically among students at the University of Latvia . "Thunder Cross"
255-531: A Russian FSB operative as far back as 2004. In April 2022, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine , a 2013 social media post by the Latvian Russian Union council member Jevgēņijs Osipovs was shared by him and other members and supporters of the party, in which he threatened with "war" if the monument was moved "by even a millimetre". On 11 April, the monument complex was declared unsafe by
306-404: A new corporatist economy", with its politics defined by "integralist nationalism". Building on Griffin's definition of generic fascism, a categorisation of Pērkonkrusts as "anti-German national socialism" has also been proposed in an article from 2015. Aside from the party's newspaper, Pērkonkrusts (1933–34), the main source of information on the political platform of Pērkonkrusts can be found in
357-647: A rally called "Getting Rid of Soviet Heritage" took place in Riga and was attended by approximately 5,000 people who walked from Freedom Monument to the Victory Monument, while a counter rally by Latvian Russian Union with a reverse route was not allowed over security concerns. According to a June 2022 survey, 49% of people supported the dismantling of the monument (72% ethnic Latvians and only 9% ethnic Russians ), while 25% didn’t support it (76% ethnic Russians and only 10% ethnic Latvians). On 22 August 2022,
408-579: A reference to Vladimir Putin 's 2004 response to Latvia's wish to recover its former territory Abrene by saying that Russia "will get a dead donkey ears, not a compensation". The object [i.e., the monument] in Pārdaugava is not a mute witness of history. It has always been a symbol of Soviet occupation . The Red Army drove German occupants from the country and then established a Soviet occupation regime . It lasted another 45 years and claimed tens of thousands of innocent people’s lives. We did not call for
459-600: A swastika, was founded in Latvia in 1932 by Gustavs Celmiņš, but was soon outlawed by the government of Latvia. The former Ugunskrusts organisation reemerged immediately under the new name of Pērkonkrusts. By 1934, Pērkonkrusts is estimated to have had between 5,000 and 6,000 members, although the organization maintained that it had more. Kārlis Ulmanis , leader of the conservative nationalist Peasants' Union Party and then Prime Minister of Latvia, proposed constitutional reforms in October 1933, which socialists feared would target
510-650: A symbol of liberation, but rather start of the Soviet re-occupation . The monument's obelisk was sometimes referred to in Latvian as "Moscow's Finger" ( Maskavas pirksts ) or okupeklis (a portmanteau of okupācija – ' occupation ' and piemineklis – 'monument'), and juxtaposed to the Freedom Monument . Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, a decision was made to finally remove
561-713: A threat to public order. Though this has rarely arisen in recent decades, in January 2015 the Leader of Britain First Paul Golding was convicted for wearing a political uniform. Later in November 2016 the deputy leader of Britain First Jayda Fransen was convicted for wearing a political uniform. Notable uniformed political groups have included: Other: Political uniforms have sometimes taken
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#1732775591188612-519: A way of showing their identity in marches and demonstrations . The wearing of political uniforms has tended to be associated with radical political beliefs , typically at the far-right or far-left of politics, and can be used to imply a paramilitary type of organization. A number of countries have legislation banning the wearing of political uniforms. In Germany, political uniforms are forbidden. Political uniforms were forbidden in Sweden during
663-558: Is one of the names for the swastika in Latvian, which was used as a symbol of the organization. The group used a variation of the Roman or Hitler salute , and greeted with the Latvian phrase " Cīņai sveiks " ("Ready for battle" or "Hail the struggle"). According to Latvian historian Uldis Krēsliņš [ lv ] , although the party used both the swastika and the Roman salute, it
714-804: The Molotov–Ribbentrop pact in 1939, Latvia was occupied by the Soviet Union . Whereas the Soviet regime released the Communists imprisoned by Ulmanis with great ceremony, political prisoners from Pērkonkrusts were not freed. Instead, more members of Pērkonkrusts were arrested by the Soviet authorities during 1940–1941, some of them being deported to Siberia . When the Germans invaded Latvia in late June 1941, Celmiņš, who had moved to Germany following Latvia's occupation in 1940, returned to Latvia as
765-580: The Riga City Council and fenced off. A few weeks later, Velta Čebotarenoka [ lv ] , a representative of the 4 May Declaration Club uniting pro-independence members of the Supreme Council of Latvia , said that the "ghost symbolizing occupation, aggression, and russkij sovetskij mir [Russian Soviet world] " "should be removed at the earliest opportunity". On 6 May, Latvian Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš announced that
816-514: The Saeima voted to suspend the functioning of a section of an agreement between Latvia and Russia regarding the preservation of memorial structures. The next day Riga City Council also voted in favour of the monument's removal, but the total amount of donations reached almost 200,000 euros. Russia submitted a request for compensation for the monument's removal, but was dismissed by Minister of Foreign Affairs of Latvia Edgars Rinkēvičs who made
867-552: The online petition website ManaBalss.lv supporting removal of the monument and reconstruction of Victory Square the way it was originally planned in the 1930s, before the Soviet occupation , commemorating the victory in 1919 over the West Russian Volunteer Army of Pavel Bermondt-Avalov during the Latvian War of Independence . Justice Minister of Latvia Jānis Bordāns was among the supporters of
918-571: The "right to retaliate, including by taking asymmetric steps". Rinkēvičs commented by saying that, "Any step they take will be followed by an adequate, stern, and solid response." [REDACTED] Media related to Monument to the Liberators of Soviet Latvia and Riga from the German Fascist Invaders at Wikimedia Commons 56°56′12″N 24°05′09″E / 56.936804°N 24.085808°E / 56.936804; 24.085808 Political uniform A number of political movements have involved their members wearing uniforms , typically as
969-493: The 1933 brochure, Pērkonkrusts: What Is It? What Does It Want? How Does It Work? ( Latvian : Kas ir? Ko grib? Kā darbojas? Pērkonkrusts ). This publication not only outlined the movement's political programme, but also included the complete party statutes. With its slogan "Latvia for Latvians! Work and bread for Latvians!" ( Latvian : Latviju latviešiem! Latviešiem darbu un maizi! ), Pērkonkrusts wished to place all political and economic control of their country exclusively in
1020-410: The 1990s as an organization whose stated goal was the overthrow of the current unsatisfactory government and the establishment of a "Latvian Latvia". In 1995, three former members of the group "Rība's Defenders" - Valdis Raups, Aivars Vīksniņš and then-68-year-old Vilis Liniņš - joined up with martial artist Juris Rečs to reconstitute Pērkonkrusts. "Rība's Defenders" was an unregistered splinter group from
1071-699: The German Fascist Invaders The Monument to the Liberators of Soviet Latvia and Riga from the German Fascist Invaders , unofficially known simply as the Victory Monument , was a memorial complex in Victory Park , Pārdaugava , Riga , Latvia , erected in 1985 to commemorate the Red Army soldiers that recaptured Riga and the rest of Latvia at the end of World War II (1944–1945). The complex consisted of
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#17327755911881122-685: The Germans in the hopes that sizable Latvian military formations would be created. From February 1942, he headed the Committee for Organising Latvian Volunteers ( Latvian : Latviešu brīvprātīgo organizācijas komiteja ), the main function of which was the recruitment of Latvian men for the Latvian Auxiliary Police Battalions, known in German as Schutzmannschaften or simply Schuma . Aside from front-line combat duties, these battalions also participated in so-called anti-partisan operations in Latvia and Belarus that included
1173-566: The Latvian state" and resolve any issues in regard to the monument's removal as it is "glorifying the ideals of a regime guilty of genocide that killed about 60 million people, including thousands of Latvians." After the relocation of the Bronze Soldier in Tallinn in late April 2007, the issue of the monument was brought up again. Chairman of the nationalist All for Latvia! party Raivis Dzintars called on Riga Mayor Jānis Birks of
1224-403: The Liberators of Soviet Latvia and Riga from the German Fascist Invaders . In one of the most serious incidents on the night of 5 June 1997, two of the members, Valdis Raups and Aivars Vīksniņš, were killed in the explosion. Another nine members were prosecuted for the bombing and received sentences ranging from a year and a half of probation to three years in prison. In 2000, most of the leaders of
1275-682: The Riga Regional Court in 2014. In its relations with Latvia, the Foreign Ministry of the Russian Federation at times brings up the history of the Pērkonkrusts movement as evidence of present-day Latvia's "fascist" heritage. In 2016, blogger Jānis Polis reported that the owner of the former GCC website is linked to purported fake news websites. Monument to the Liberators of Soviet Latvia and Riga from
1326-628: The Victory Day celebration at the monument was organized by the party For Human Rights in a United Latvia for the first time and by 2005 the event had grown to resemble an open-air festival attended by around 260,000 people. In 2007, the Popular Front of Latvia and the Alliance of Latvian World War II Veterans sent an open letter to Prime Minister of Latvia Aigars Kalvītis urging him to prevent "any provocations that might discredit
1377-511: The conservative TB/LNNK to organize a public discussion on the future of the monument, but Birks dismissed the calls as "very thoughtless and even harmful to Latvia". The chairman of the Union of Greens and Farmers parliamentary faction Augusts Brigmanis [ lv ] and the leader of Latvia's First Party/Latvian Way parliamentary faction Andris Bērziņš were similarly dismissive. In 2013, more than 11,000 signatures were collected on
1428-418: The current Pērkonkrusts were arrested and tried. The group ceased organised activities or was banned around 2006. One of the previous leaders of the organization Igors Šiškins has tried to re-activate Pērkonkrusts again. He has claimed to represent Pērkonkrusts at various events, such as the marking of Remembrance day of the Latvian legionnaires and Soviet Victory Day (9 May) in Riga. On 9 May 2007, Šiškins
1479-608: The early phases of the Holocaust in Latvia, Mārtiņš Vagulāns, whom historian Valdis Lumans describes as a member of Pērkonkrusts, led a killing squad attached to the Sicherheitsdienst (SD) in the town of Jelgava . Historian Andrievs Ezergailis has countered that Vagulāns was not in fact a member of Pērkonkrusts, between whom and the Nazis existed "a wall of suspicion." Ezergailis has also argued, "I do not think that among
1530-519: The first or the second group of occupants. For a long time this object has been used by Russia’s autocratic regime . Most people come to this monument not as much to commemorate the fallen , but to publicly promote Kremlin's imperialistic narratives and vision for the world . But after 24 February this object left by occupants in Pārdaugava acquired a new meaning. Events of last week indicated that it can motivate some people to extreme, Russian war crime -glorifying behaviour in public space, On 20 May,
1581-415: The goals of Pērkonkrusts were a Latvia where the "Latvian would be the lord and master in his Fatherland... not in those of Latvian-speaking cosmopolitan bastards," and "racial purity of the Latvian people." Pērkonkrusts has opposed "Jew neo-Communists... half-Jews and their allies... enemy number one of the Latvian people." Members of the reconstituted Pērkonkrusts tried three times to bomb the Monument to
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1632-401: The group has become almost inactive. Pērkonkrusts has been categorised by scholars as either representing the radical right or fascism. Fascism researcher Roger Griffin describes Pērkonkrusts as having been a "small but genuine fascist opposition" which "pursued a revolutionary solution to the [economic] crisis and which would turn Latvia into an authoritarian state based on a new élite with
1683-507: The hands of ethnic Latvians. As a result, the party rejected the existing legislation that gave national minorities cultural autonomy. Pērkonkrusts aimed its propaganda against minorities who supposedly had taken over the Latvian economy (i.e. Baltic Germans , Jews ) and the contemporary parliamentary politicians, whom it accused of corruption. In a Latvian Latvia the question of minorities will not exist. ... This means that once and for all we renounce unreservedly bourgeois-liberal prejudice on
1734-526: The initiative, whereas Russian Foreign Ministry representative Alexander Lukashevich condemned the calls for the monument's removal. On 29 June 2016, the Saeima Mandate, Ethics and Submissions Committee rejected the petition based on the argument of the Riga City Council that the location had already been developed and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia that concluded that the monument
1785-632: The killers of the Jews there were more than ten Pērkonkrusts members, if that. They played a more significant role as purveyors of anti-Semitism in Nazi press." The German authorities decisively banned the organization for good in August 1941. Some former Pērkonkrusts members collaborated with the Germans, while others maintained an anti-German sentiment and joined those groups subversively opposed to German occupation. Celmiņš continued his outward collaboration with
1836-549: The left more than the right. In November of the same year, seven communist deputies were arrested, while Pērkonkrusts officials were left alone. Because of political unrest, stemming partially from the growing power of the right, Ulmanis staged a bloodless coup d'état in May 1934, banning not only the Communist Party and Pērkonkrusts, but all parties and the Saeima (Parliament). Following the coup, Pērkonkrusts leader Celmiņš
1887-550: The massacres of rural Jews and other civilians. Pērkonkrusts members working within the SD apparatus in occupied Latvia would feed Celmiņš information, some of which he would include in his underground, anti-German publication Brīvā Latvija . This eventually led to Celmiņš and his associates being arrested, with Celmiņš ending up imprisoned in Flossenbürg concentration camp . A radical group claiming Pērkonkrusts's name emerged in
1938-471: The monument and building an interactive museum of occupation under it. At the same time, a counterinitiative by the Latvian Russian Union leader Tatjana Ždanoka on "the protection of monuments against Nazism ", including the Monument to the Liberators of Soviet Latvia and Riga from the German Fascist Invaders, had gathered over 21,000 signatures. An article in 2024 claimed that Ždanoka had allegedly been
1989-407: The monument's eventual removal was inevitable. After a spontaneous pro-Russian rally at the monument on 10 May, access to it was restricted once again and extended until August 31, while three police officers present on site on 10 May were suspended from their duties. On 12 May, a public demolition fundraising campaign was launched and more than 39,000 euros were donated by the end of the day when
2040-447: The monument's removal began with landscape preparations and State Security Service monitoring the situation for potential provocations. Seven people were detained by the police the same day and an additional 14 people a day later. The band of three soldiers was demolished on 23 August, and the monument's main element, the obelisk, was toppled on 25 August. The following day, UN Human Rights Committee belatedly asked Latvia to stop
2091-525: The monument. The demolition began 22 August 2022 and on 25 August 2022, the obelisk was toppled. The monument was designed by architect Alexandr Bugaev [ lv ; ru ] and produced by sculptors Lev Bukovsky [ lv ; ru ] and Aivars Gulbis [ lv ; ru ] in 1985. In 1994, after the restoration of Latvia's independence, the Socialist Party of Latvia took initiatives to revive Victory Day celebrations at
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2142-462: The monument. the following year, around 11,000 people gathered for a 9 May event chaired by the vice-chairman of Socialist Party and MP Filips Stroganovs [ lv ; ru ] . In 1997, the monument was unsuccessfully bombed by members of the Latvian ultranationalist group Pērkonkrusts , two of whom died during the bombing, while six others, including Igors Šiškins , were eventually sentenced to up to three years in prison in 2000. In 1998,
2193-408: The national question, we renounce historical, humanistic, or other constraints in pursuit of our one true aim—the good of the Latvian nation. Our God, our belief, our life's meaning, our goal is the Latvian nation: whoever is against its welfare is our enemy. ... We assume that the only place in the world where Latvians can settle is Latvia. Other peoples have their own countries. ... In one word—in
2244-688: The period 1933–2002. The law existed to prevent Nazi groups from wearing uniforms. In the United Kingdom, the Public Order Act 1936 , passed to control extremist political movements in the 1930s such as the British Union of Fascists , banned the wearing of political uniforms during marches. Attempts to legislate against the wearing of political uniform were difficult to implement, due to problems with defining what constitutes political uniform, but also in determining which groups were
2295-447: The removal of the monument and preserve the already removed parts of the monument while it reviewed a complaint submitted to the committee on 24 August. On 29 August, the pool within the memorial complex was drained, and a tonne of fish, mostly carp, were removed. The removal of the sculptures and the debris from the site was officially completed on 14 October, while the removal of the memorial complex's foundation and remaining structures
2346-519: The self-proclaimed successor organization of the pre-WWII Aizsargi , led by Jānis Rība. Members of the group were assigned code names, swore loyalty oaths, and senior members wore masks to initiate recruits. The organization was explicitly militaristic and considered itself a "Latvian fighting unit" pursuing a "holy liberation struggle." The ideology of the group was primarily characterized by ethnic and racial nationalism, anti-semitism, anti-communism , anti-liberalism and opposed to free markets. Among
2397-465: Was arrested for wearing forbidden symbols in public. Šiškins was similarly detained for displaying forbidden symbols on 9 May 2009. In 2006 a similar organization, the Gustavs Celmiņš' Center ( Gustava Celmiņa centrs ), which used the same symbols as Pērkonkrusts and also claimed to promote Dievturība , was registered with Šiškins becoming one of its leaders until the organization was dissolved by
2448-615: Was imprisoned for three years and then banished from Latvia. Although Pērkonkrusts did not exist officially after 1934, many former leaders and members acted with a degree of unity in subsequent years. In the late 1930s, Celmiņš set up a 'foreign liaison office' of Pērkonkrusts in Helsinki , Finland . During his peripatetic exile, Celmiņš had established personal contacts with the representatives of other fascist groupings in Europe, most notably Romania 's Corneliu Codreanu . Not long after
2499-497: Was neither affiliated with, nor a copycat of German Nazism — as was the case with the United Latvian National Socialist Party [ lv ] headed by Jānis Štelmachers [ lv ] . The uniform of Pērkonkrusts was a grey shirt and black beret . The fascist group Ugunskrusts (Fire Cross), one of the Latvian ethnic symbols as well as a sign which is a mirrored image of
2550-472: Was protected by a Latvian-Russian 1994 agreement on preservation and maintenance of memorials and burial sites. In 2019, a similar petition by the same initiator gathered more than 10,000 signatures and on 2 April the Saeima Mandate, Ethics and Submissions Committee began discussing it, with some members supporting the removal, some opposing it and some offering alternative solutions, such as renaming
2601-448: Was scheduled to be completed by the end of the month. A skatepark is planned to be built on the site of the monument as a potential temporary solution. The Investigative Committee of Russia immediately launched a criminal case over the monument's removal. On 10 November 2022, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia summoned the Latvian ambassador Māris Riekstiņš in protest at the removal of Soviet monuments and threatened with
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