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Pērkonkrusts
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Pērkonkrusts

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Also known as Thunder Cross

Pērkonkrusts (, "Thunder Cross") was a Latvian ultranationalist, anti-German, anti-Slavic, and antisemitic political party founded in 1933 by Gustavs Celmiņš, borrowing elements of German nationalism—but being unsympathetic to Nazism at the time—and Italian Fascism. It was outlawed in 1934, its leadership arrested, and Celmiņš eventually exiled in 1937. Still-imprisoned members were persecuted under the first Soviet occupation; some collaborated with subsequently invading Nazi Germany forces in perpetrating the Holocaust. Pērkonkrusts continued to exist in some form until 1944, when Celmiņš, w

Key facts

Political party.colorcode
8b0000
Political party.native_name
Pērkonkrusts
Political party.name
Thunder Cross
Political party.logo
150px
Political party.leader
Gustavs Celmiņš
Political party.split
National Union
Political party.newspaper
Pērkonkrusts
Political party.membership
5–6,000 (1934 )
Political party.wing1
Greyshirts
Political party.position
Far-right
Political party.religion
Dievturība
Political party.anthem
"We Want to Be Lords in Our Native Land"
Political party.slogan
"Latvia for Latvians! Work and bread for Latvians!"
Political party.flag
200px|border
Political party.country
Latvia

via Wikipedia infobox

~12 min read

Encyclopedic overview

10 sections
Contents
  • Principles and ideology
  • Party symbols
  • History
  • Before World War II
  • During World War II
  • In modern Latvia
  • See also
  • References
  • Further reading
  • External links

Pērkonkrusts (, "Thunder Cross") was a Latvian ultranationalist, anti-German, anti-Slavic, and antisemitic political party founded in 1933 by Gustavs Celmiņš, borrowing elements of German nationalism—but being unsympathetic to Nazism at the time—and Italian Fascism. It was outlawed in 1934, its leadership arrested, and Celmiņš eventually exiled in 1937. Still-imprisoned members were persecuted under the first Soviet occupation; some collaborated with subsequently invading Nazi Germany forces in perpetrating the Holocaust. Pērkonkrusts continued to exist in some form until 1944, when Celmiņš, who had initially returned to work in the occupying German administration, was imprisoned.

Following the restoration of Latvia's independence in 1991, a new radical nationalist movement, also called Pērkonkrusts, was formed in 1995. The organization espouses many of the same values as its predecessor. Members have participated in efforts to bomb the Monument to the Liberators of Soviet Latvia and Riga from the German Fascist Invaders several times, leading to the arrest, trial and imprisonment of many of its members. Since around 2000, the group has become almost inactive.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Pērkonkrusts” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

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