RSSWrestling with History
May 09
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I chose to be quiet here in the last two days — to ponder the significance of the end of World War II in Europe.
Following the six-year hostilities, a wall divided the continent. At first, it was an imaginary wall, a symbol of division of the continent between the East and the West.
From the ruins of the World War II came into the existence a realistic idea of a common Europe. On May 9, 1950 French foreign minister Robert Schuman proposed the creation of an integrated Europe, which, he said, was indispensable to the maintenance of peaceful relations. That declaration is celebrated today as Europe Day.
But any lessons from World War II are painful in the Baltics. It’s awfully painful to remember that three Baltic States remained part of the Soviet Union, following World War II. It’s painful to remember those who had been deported to Siberia because they were deemed as the dangerous to the Soviet authorities. It’s painful to remember those who died from the hands of the Soviet secret police. It’s painful to remember the dark cloud that came over Eastern Europe.
Having said that, it’s also important to remember those who gave their lives to defend their land from the Nazi Germany, although there are many reasons not to do it on May 9.
I had watched yesterday’s attempt to recreate the Baltic Way chain of 1989 to show solidarity for Estonia. And I couldn’t help but think about the contrast between that event and the Tallinn’s brawl of two weeks ago. Yesterday, some people stood together, held hands, sang songs, and spoke volumes about what they believe. Two weeks ago, people broke glass, attacked police, looted, and trashed their home in an attempt to make their voices heard.
Today, the day to remember the Allied Victory over Nazism, a group of mostly elderly people gathered near the Victory Monument to celebrate it (see the video). But most often than not, the meaning of the Victory Day gets lost in the sea of political messages and propaganda.
The Russian-language Chas, a bastion of everything is that wrong with the Russian-language media in Latvia, chides Latvian politicians to draw lessons from the events in Estonia in a typical tongue-in-cheek fashion. “‘An occupier’ is synonymous with a Russian”, the newspaper says, utilizing the term “Second Republic” to underscore an idea that the occupation of the Baltic States never happened, nor did the restoration of independence.
Political organizations on both sides of the spectrum use the memory of those who died in that war to their political advantage. On the right, Latvian nationalists in their attempt to stick it to local Russians, gathered this morning at the Victory Monument in Riga as if to remind people about the occupation, but really just cause a havoc once again.
On the left, leaders and parties use the Victory Day to remind us that citizenship needs to be offered to all; that the Russian language should be given a status of a second national language – neither of which is likely to happen soon. So instead, they continue demand this Soviet pipe dream of a Russian paradise in the Baltics. There are many demagogues in Latvia, but a few doers.
Somewhere in this political rubble are millions of lives lost in the war.
Photo is taken from apollo.lv
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