National Power Unity, (Latvian: Nacionālā Spēka Savienība, NSS), sometimes referred to as National Power Union or Union of National Force, was a far-right nationalist political party in Latvia. It was a member of the European National Front.
It was founded in 2003 by Aigars Prūsis and Viktors Birze on the base of the human rights group Helsinki-86.
In the 2005 municipal elections to the Liepāja city council, the NSS received 400 votes, or 1.86% of the total, and no seats. In the 2006 parliamentary election, the NSS received 1172 votes, or 0.13% of the total, and no seats.
NSS is known for a number of controversial activities. In 2005, it commemorated the 105-th birthday of Herberts Cukurs, 1930s Latvian aviator and alleged World War II Nazi war criminal. NSS claims that they celebrated the aviation achievements of Cukurs and that there is no sufficient evidence to conclude that Cukurs was involved in war crimes.
NSS participated in the protests against the gay pride parade in Riga on July 22, 2006. Prior to the parade, the chairman of NSS, Viktors Birze threatened that the anti-gay pride protests will not be limited to non-violent methods. As of May 2007, Birze and at least one other NSS member are under investigation for attacks against the parade (throwing objects at the participants of the parade and police officers). After the events, NSS admitted their presence in the anti-pride protests but denied that their members were the ones throwing objects at the pride participants.
On May 9, 2007, NSS commemorated the anniversary of the end of World War II by marching towards the monument for the Soviet soldiers and attempting to place a wreath made of barbed wire at the monument, to emphasize the ordeals of Latvia after the Soviet Union winning the World War II. They were prevented from placing the barbed wire wreath by the police.
NSS did not submit an application for re-registration and was disbanded in 2008. Its members joined forces with the radical national party Tēvzemes savienība (Fatherland Union), to form Tēvzemes nacionālo spēku savienība (National Power Union of the Fatherland).
Famous quotes containing the words national, power and/or unity:
“If the national security is involved, anything goes. There are no rules. There are people so lacking in roots about what is proper and what is improper that they don’t know there’s anything wrong in breaking into the headquarters of the opposition party.”
—Helen Gahagan Douglas (1900–1980)
“Coal lay in ledges under the ground since the Flood, until a laborer with pick and windlass brings it to the surface. We may will call it black diamonds. Every basket is power and civilization. For coal is a portable climate.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
“Authority is the spiritual dimension of power because it depends upon faith in a system of meaning that decrees the necessity of the hierarchical order and so provides for the unity of imperative control.”
—Shoshana Zuboff (b. 1951)