Latvia sets June 17 as Occupation Day

May 25, 2000

Parliament also introduced amendments to the law on the state flag
stipulating that on June 17 flags in mourning decoration should be hung
out at the buildings.

The amendments also determine that Sept. 22 will be marked as the
Baltic Unity Day in honor of the Saules battle that took place in the
year 1236.

June 17 was determined as Occupation Day because at dawn on that day in
1940 more than 100,000 strong units of the former Soviet army crossed
Latvia's border. By midday the army already had reached Riga and
occupied positions of strategic importance.

On that day the then President Karlis Ulmanis made his well-known radio
address in which he was trying to calm down the people of Latvia. "I
will stay in my place, you stay in yours!" the president said, winding
up his speech. The historians have said though this phrase was not
true, because the power in Latvia by that time already was in the hands
of the Soviets.

Latvia already has 27 celebration and commemorative days in the
calendar of this year. Four of them refer to occupation, two are
commemoration days of victims of communist genocide. There is also the
day of commemoration for victims of genocide against Jewish people and
the day of commemoration of genocide exerted against Latvian people by
the totalitarian communist regime.

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