The Latvian Anti-Fascist Committee, which was established to counter manifestations of neo-Nazism and Russophobia, and protect the interests of the Russian-speaking population in Latvia, said plans to remove the monument, approved by the local government, were never announced before being carried out.
The Bauska legislature said the measure had been drafted in line with town development plans, and that no politics had been involved, while the Russian Embassy in Latvia declined to comment.
Anti-Fascist Committee leader Eduard Goncharov said the authorities had created a precedent for similar events in other small towns, which could turn into a trend and reach Riga, the capital.
"What happened in Bauska is evidence that Latvia is not immune to the Estonian scenario of dismantling the 'Bronze Soldier'," Goncharov said.
The story is reminiscent of the removal of a memorial to Soviet soldiers in WWII and several graves from central Tallinn to a military cemetery shortly before the VE-Day celebrations this year. Mass protests in the Estonian capital turned into street riots and clashes with police, in which over a thousand were arrested and dozens injured. One Russian national was killed.
Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, relations between the Baltic states and Russia sharply deteriorated when Russia protested over discrimination against ethnic Russians, who constitute over 25% of the countries' population, and marches by Waffen SS veterans. Latvia and Estonia deem their Soviet period as occupation.
