Riga, Latvia, is the capital and largest city of Latvia. Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states and home to more than one third of Latvia's population.

Latvians pay tribute to soldiers who fought in Nazi Germany's Waffen SS divisions, while nearby Russians held a counter protest to recall war crimes committed against Jews and other minorities. For many Latvians the annual procession from a Lutheran cathedral to the Freedom Monument in downtown Riga, the capital, is a memorial event for Latvian SS soldiers, known as Legionnaires, who fought for independence during World War II.