The authorities gave their approval to veterans group Daugavas Vanagi to stage a March 16 street march to commemorate former Latvian soldiers that fought for the Nazis and Waffen-SS during World War II, RIA Novosti, a Russian news agency, reported Friday.

The event is planned for Latvian Legion Day, which commemorates a March 1944 battle that resulted in Latvian troops preventing Soviet forces from advancing. The public holiday was abolished in 2000, but it continues to be celebrated unofficially.

A march marking the day in 2005 ended with dozens of arrests after participants clashed with Russian protesters.