Igors Šiškins (born 9 June 1959 in Rēzekne) is a Latvian ultranationalist activist and politician. During the 1990s, Šiškins was a member of the Latvian ultranationalist organization Pērkonkrusts, where he was one of the members convicted for their involvement in bombing the Monument to the Liberators of Soviet Latvia and Riga from the German Fascist Invaders in June 1997.
Igors Šiškins | |
|---|---|
 Šiškins at the Remembrance Day of the Latvian Legionnaires on 16 March 2009 | |
| Born | 9 June 1959 |
| Occupation | chimney sweep[1] |
| Organization(s) | Pērkonkrusts (early 1990s–2006), Gustavs Celmiņš Centre (2007–2014) |
| Political party | Fatherland Union (2006) |
| Criminal charges | Involvement in bombing of the Monument to the Liberators of Soviet Latvia and Riga from the German Fascist Invaders in 1997 |
| Criminal penalty | Two year imprisonment |
Biography
editŠiškins was born in Rēzekne to a Russian father and a Latvian mother, but considers himself Latvian because his parents separated when he was young.[2] In the Latvian SSR, Šiškins worked as a driver, locksmith, and stonecutter.[2]
In the early 1990s, Šiškins joined the ultranationalist organization Pērkonkrusts. In late 1998, Šiškins was arrested and in 2000 sentenced to three years in prison for his involvement in the 1997 bombing of the Monument to the Liberators of Soviet Latvia and Riga from the German Fascist Invaders,[3] having to remain in prison until April 24, 2001.[4] The activity of Pērkonkrusts was banned in 2006.[5]
In the 2006 Latvian parliamentary elections, Šiškins ran on the Fatherland Union ticket but the party received only 0.1% of the vote and he was not elected. In 2007, he founded the Gustavs Celmiņš Centre (GCC) as a continuation to the banned Pērkonkrusts.[6] Gustavs Celmiņš Centre was similarly banned for extremist activity in December 2014 by the Latvian court following an application from the Latvian Security Police.[7]
On July 1, 2010, Šiškins was one of the two people detained at a halted march commemorating the capture of Riga by Wehrmacht from the Red Army on July 1, 1941.[8] In October 2012, Šiškins was arrested and charged for the attempted purchase of explosives.[9][10] In 2015, on the Remembrance Day of the Latvian Legionnaires, Šiškins organized a separate procession attended by around 20 people.[11]
Šiškins has remained active, maintaining a website under the Pērkonkrusts name.[7] He is also believed to be one of the leaders of the anti-immigration "Stop Migration" fund and the radical right Antiglobalists Society that have attempted to establish a political party together.[12]
References
edit- ^ "Igors Šiškins". Latvian Chamber of Crafts database. Retrieved 2021-07-31.
- ^ a b Игорь Шишкин: «Могу взять в руки автомат!» (17.03.09.) Archived 2010-08-02 at the Wayback Machine Vesti segodnya (in Russian)
- ^ "Latvian Nationalists Imprisoned for Obelisk Bombing". The Moscow Times. 30 May 2000. Retrieved 26 October 2012.
- ^ "Radicals 'Perkonkrusts' handed prison time in blasts". The Baltic Times. 2000-06-01. Retrieved 2008-06-02.
- ^ Camus, Jean-Yves; Lebourg, Nicolas (2017). Far-Right Politics in Europe. Belknap Press. p. 235. ISBN 978-06-749-7153-0.
- ^ Miller-Idriss, Cynthia; Pilkington, Hilary (2017). Gender and the Radical and Extreme Right: Mechanisms of Transmission and the Role of Educational Interventions. Taylor & Francis. p. 55. ISBN 978-04-298-1269-9.
- ^ a b Loader, Michael; Kott, Matthew (2022). Defining Latvia: Recent Explorations in History, Culture, and Politics. Central European University Press. p. 217. ISBN 978-96-338-6446-3.
- ^ "Police halt demonstration in Riga Old Town". The Baltic Course. July 2, 2010. Retrieved October 26, 2012.
- ^ "October 26 2012 Update". Latvian Centre for Human Rights. Retrieved 19 August 2013.
- ^ "Security Police wish to ban several radical and paramilitary organizations". Latvian News. 29 November 2012. Retrieved 19 August 2013.
- ^ "At least 1,000 residents have taken part in procession to commemorate Latvian Legionnaires". Baltic News Network. LETA. March 16, 2015. Retrieved March 16, 2015.
- ^ "Blogger unmasks more fake news sites". Public Broadcasting of Latvia. December 12, 2016. Retrieved May 22, 2019.