Borderlands (IV)
Protesti pie Saeimas pret Abrenes iztirgošanu 2007.05.17. from Kursis LV on Vimeo
A protest against the ratification of the Border Agreement at the Saeima, Latvia's Parliament, this morning, organized by the far-right "Visu Latvijai!" ("All for Latvia!") party. The Border Agreement was ratified (70:25) despite the fact that its constitutionality is being challenged in the Constitutional Court -- the President has said she will sign it into law, which means that the Satversme, Latvia's Constitution, may have to be amended. If a referendum to amend it fails, Latvia will be stuck with an unconstitutional Agreement, because Russia will almost certainly have ratified it and international law would require the consent of both countries to renounce it. My previous posts on the issue are here -- I, II, III.
A protest against the ratification of the Border Agreement at the Saeima, Latvia's Parliament, this morning, organized by the far-right "Visu Latvijai!" ("All for Latvia!") party. The Border Agreement was ratified (70:25) despite the fact that its constitutionality is being challenged in the Constitutional Court -- the President has said she will sign it into law, which means that the Satversme, Latvia's Constitution, may have to be amended. If a referendum to amend it fails, Latvia will be stuck with an unconstitutional Agreement, because Russia will almost certainly have ratified it and international law would require the consent of both countries to renounce it. My previous posts on the issue are here -- I, II, III.
Labels: abrene, all about latvia, border agreement, politics, protest, pytalovo
posted by Pēteris Cedriņš at 23:25
2 Comments:
Here we go again...
Thanks "far-right" VISU LATVIJAI for your Latvian "cajones." Thanks - from the rest of us "left-right-middle-closet" Latvian patriots who shed tears with you over Abrene - for doing the patriotic heavy-lifting for all Latvians by organizing the dignified, beautiful (only)demonstation against the ratification of the Border Agreement. Thank you for taking the time from your busy lives to participate in a "very moving protest." I forgive you for singing to Ulmanis and Balodis since I can't really imagine singing to Kalvitis and Freiberga. Ar cienu.
It is indeed a dignified and moving demonstration, and on this issue I agree completely with their position. I even cried, watching this.
"Far-right" is a modifier to place them on the confused, confusing spectrum -- but the fact is that they are extremely ethnocentric to the point of hideous bigotry and know-nothingism, rather anti-European, homophobic, and they hold candlelight vigils to mark the anniversary of the 1934 coup.
I've watched this countless times now because it's an amazing sociological and political document. There are at least a thousand fascinating things here -- sorry to those who don't know Latvian and the songs and can't recognize the politicians... it really deserves an annotated version!
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