Other events in Baltic States

Various pro and anti Latvian Legion Day events take place in Riga today, as police in the Latvian capital will be on high alert, informs LETA.

The Limbazi Section of the Daugavas Vanagi war veterans organization will hold a march from St.John's Church in the old city to the Freedom Monument in downtown Riga. The event will take place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The commemorative procession is expected to gather some 100 participants, according to the organization's estimates. A fence will be placed by the Freedom Monument during the procession.

The society for the Support of National Soldiers is planning an event by the Freedom Monument from 7 a.m. until 1 p.m. to explain to passersby the Latvian SS Legion's history and the battles that were fought on March 16, 1944. That event is expected to draw 30 participants. The Riga City Council decided to allow the participants to gather at one side of the Freedom Monument's square.

The Anti-Nazi Committee of Latvia, meanwhile, has announced a picket between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. in the square in front of the Freedom Monument to honor the memory of Waffen-SS victims and denounce attempts to justify the crimes committed by Waffen-SS. The organizers expect about 100 people to take part in the picket. The participants of this event will be allowed to gather in Bastejkalns park next to the Freedom Monument.

The Riga City Council has decided on such restrictions because the Anti-Nazi Committee of Latvia is organizing its event to protest against the procession organized by Daugavas Vanagi, while the society for the Support of National Soldiers is holding its campaign in protest against "anti-nazists".

Similar restrictions were applied also last year.

The Latvian legionnaire commemorative procession commenced at 11:00 a.m. this morning, with approximately 1,000 persons marching in from St John's Church in Old Town to the Freedom Monument.

As LETA observed, the procession itself is made up of mostly older persons, but there is a relatively larger number of younger persons also marching in the procession. Many persons are holding flowers, and the Latvian, Estonian and Lithuanian flags are also being held.

LETA also observed that MPs Imants Paradnieks (National Alliance) and Einars Cilinskis (National Alliance) are also participating in the procession.

Maintaining order during the procession are police officers and security guards.

Even though the procession is going on relatively peacefully, some aggressive rhetoric between the pro and anti groups can be heard.

Approximately 40 persons have gathered for the so-called ''anti-fascist'' rally at Bastejkalns Park near the Freedom Monument today.

The rally participants are holding posters in the Latvian, English and German languages with slogans such as ''Let us defend history against the Waffen SS'' and ''We are against the glorification of the Latvian legion''.

At the same time, the rally participants are also using loud-speaker to recite the names of Jews who were murdered by the Nazi occupying regime in Latvia, as well as holding posters with pictures of Jews being killed by Nazis.

The rally is also being attended by ''anti-fascists'' from Berlin, LETA observed, mostly young persons holding the flags of their organizations.