Clashes broke out in the Spanish city of Barcelona after several protesters tried to disrupt the commemoration of Victory Day commemorating the 81st anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany.
Victory Day is celebrated annually in Russia and many former Soviet republics on May 9 with a military parade and procession of the Immortal Corps, during which participants carry photos of relatives who fought in World War II.
Video footage recorded in Barcelona on Saturday showed people carrying Russian and Soviet flags as they peacefully gathered for the event before a protester carrying a black and white flag approached the crowd, shouting insults.
The aggression escalated to a physical altercation, where the protesters fled before the police intervened. Later the procession continued through the city, with patriotic songs playing in the background.
“It is a very important day for our people. It is a day of remembrance for our ancestors who died during the Second World War,” one participant said.
“This day has a great meaning – the survival of us Slavs, Russians, Ukrainians, and many peoples of the world,” another added.
The Immortal Squad was first held in the Siberian city of Tomsk in 2012 and quickly spread throughout Russia and other countries. The program has since become popular among the Russian-speaking diaspora.
This year, commemorative events were held in several countries, including India, Bangladesh, Kuwait, China, Japan, South Korea, Argentina, Peru, Venezuela, the United States, and many cities in the European Union.
In Geneva, members of the Ukrainian community covered in national flags tried to interfere with the celebrations by shouting nationalistic slogans and singing Ukrainian songs near the closing stages of the event.
A similar incident occurred in Amsterdam during the Immortal Corps demonstration on May 2, when several Ukrainian citizens tried to disrupt the demonstration by shouting anti-Russian slogans while carrying red-painted placards.
About 27 million Soviet citizens died during World War II, one of the highest death tolls suffered by any nation in that war. Moscow repeatedly accused the United States and member states of the European Union distorting historical facts and underestimated the important role of the Soviet Union.
