Herberts Cukurs nazi criminal or a national heroe?

In april of this year there appeared request to bury ashes of Herberts Cukurs in cementery dedicated to latvian war heroes. Say, all latvian heroes must be burried in latvian soil.

There had been discussions should he be re buried in Latvia or not, and do it will create bad PR for Latvia. However none of official faces mentioned that Herberts Cukurs is notable war criminal. Most of latvians would just to prefare not to talk about certain subjects, such as holocaust. There were just some internet comments, that with heroes like him it is no suprise that Latvia is in such downfall.



In Latvian book stores one can find the book, showing war criminal Cukurs as a heroe. At some point indeed he was something like latvian "Aviator". This self made man had almoust celebrity status for his self made planes. However with the comming of nazi Reich he had chosen wrong side to follow and totally wrong way of showing his loyality to Adolf Hitler. In the 1941 year Herberts Cukurs took active role in holocaust being the most notorious member of ill famed Arajs commando, who almoust exlusively murdered Latvian citizens of jewish nationality. In 1941 year in Latvian teritory was murdered ~70 000 Latvian jewish citizens.
Suprising enought, there is no proof, that Cukurs had any antisemitic wievs. So his participation in holocaust was an easy way to show his loyality to the new regime. (much more easy than to go to front line.) Riga's Getto survivor tells Hollywood like stories about his companion throwing breast feed infants in the air and Cukurs shooting at them or Herberts Cukurs taking infant by the legs and hiting head about the wall. It could be a postraumatic or it could be the fact.


Google search gives english language blog portraiting Herberts Cukurs as wrongly accused heroe and even savior of some jews. -> http://www.herbertscukurs.net/ But the same looking blog in latvian tells, that even if he had murdered jews, it is not such a big deal. -> http://herbertcukurs.blogspot.com/

Herberts Cukurs was so notorious war criminal, that National Geographic had "nazi hunter" episodes dedicated to him.

Official latvian school history books don't say, what happened in Bikernieki and Rumbula forests (nazi execution sites), had 'forgoten' Riga's Ghetto or how war criminal Herberts Cukurs murdered exLatvian citizens. Young children are teached only mostly about gulags, so they end school having perception that those nazis were bad, but no so much bad and everything happened somewhere with some whatever jews. There were denazification in USA occupation zones but no denazification in soviet occupation zones. After the war all the soviet territories were includent in "victors". Many of the older far-right before the fall of USSR was passionate communist party members, and nazi Uldis Freimanis was soviet army fighter pilot.

Nazi Hunter episode




Video with pictures from Salaspils concentration camp memorial.

NeoNazis entering Latvian coalition talks

After Latvian parlament elections in september, coalition talks entered so called National Alliance. National alliance was found as electoral alliance of soviet style national demagogs "For Fatherland and Freedom" (including some suspicions members like Jānis Straume and Jānis Birks, both by some claimed as corrupt) and ex neo-nazi group "All for Latvia!".


Notice stylised swastika as logo. Party claims, that swastika had nothing to do with german national socialism, however most of far right groups using stylised swastika claims the same. Say Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging claims triskelion swastika means three black sevens, number of YHWH.




Some "All for Latvia!" key members took place in some neo nazi meeting with russian radicals. None knows, what did they discussed, and thay claim, event didn't took place.


"All for Latvia!" are known for their participation in 16. march events. In theory at 16. march they just commemorate latvian wafen SS veterans. However in reality 16. march is meeting day of all latvian right wing radikals, be it relatively moderate "All for Latvia!", eccentric antisemite Aivars Garda, bombist Igors Šiškins or not so covered Aivars Gedroics and Uldis Freimanis, who managed to grab attention of Anti Defamation League.

During independance day "All for Latvia!" traditionaly organise torch march. No way torch marches are latvian tradition, however they look nice during night.


However beautifull, torch marches in central and eastern europe are characteristic only of far right groups, like these ukrainian radikals. No humanitarian, libertarian, centrist, green or christian groups organise such events. Actualy in central and eastern europe there are not so much these groups. It realy had to do with soviet past, as democrats and humanitarian activists were claimed enemies of soviet regime, but nationalist felt relatively free if they weren't anti soviet.



Something more aggresive from "All for Latvia!".

Funny, the song is plagiate of russian song Alisa - Nebo Slavjan (The sky of Slavs). Not so good for a party, claiming all ethnic minorities must be forcibly turned into latvians.