JTA – A Belgian town has removed most of its references to a group of Latvian soldiers from the local square, who were part of Nazi Germany’s SS forces, after allegations that the class honored them.
Briviba Square in Zedelgem, a small town 70 miles west of Antwerp, contained a statue of the “Latvian Beehive” and a plaque depicting hundreds of Latvian prisoners of war who were taken to a POW camp in the village after World War II. was briefly halted. They were part of the 15th and 19th Waffen Grenadier Divisions, which were under the administration of the Nazis.
City council members in Zedelgem supported the memory of soldiers held at the POW camp, giving the project the green light in 2018. This caused widespread controversy thanks to coverage by Lev Golnikin, a Jewish journalist and author who wrote about the subject. Ahead.
The Chowk will get a new name and its plaque will be removed. But till now the idol will remain.
Zedelgem mayor Annick Vermeulen said any crime was unintentional.
Many Latvians praise the “Beehive” for their efforts in fighting Russia. Latvia’s capital Riga has its own Briviba Square, and legions of local former SS units hold an annual march through the city. The march is also opposed annually by locals who see it as glorifying war criminals.
