In Finland, the first march of the "Immortal Regiment"
Source: RIA Novosti
"On Victory Day, on May 9, we will go through an anti-fascist procession carrying photos of our heroes who fought in the Second World War against fascism," the invitation to participate in the event said.
As emphasized in the invitation, "This event is not against Finland or the Finns; on the contrary, we do this together with the Finns, and this is a gesture of peace and reconciliation. We invite the Finns to support our procession, and although our ancestors fought against each other - we will not allow the repetition of this monstrous mistake. Maybe it's time to drop weapons and remember together our grandfathers who sacrificed their lives for the sake of a better future for their children! "
As Finnish human rights defender Johan Backman told Interfax on Sunday, despite the fact that "certain anti-Russian circles in Finland" opposed the procession, "the Finnish authorities are determined to protect the event in every way and guarantee its peaceful conduct."
I believe that the initiative is good. In Helsinki there are a lot of Russians, but so far there have been no general events for the Victory Day. Now everyone can participate in the action "Immortal Regiment". This is a clear indication of the high level of Russian-Finnish relations
Johan Backman
Finnish human rights activist