Did Europe ban May 9 commemorations? What the rules actually restrict

Publication date: 11 June 2026

Claim

Belarusian state media claimed that Europe is facing a wave of repression against dates linked to the victory over Nazism, and that May 9 commemorations and flower laying are effectively banned.

Verdict

Misleading. There is no Europe-wide ban on remembering the Second World War or honoring its victims. Some countries and cities restrict the public use of Soviet, Russian and other symbols that authorities link to the glorification of totalitarian regimes or to justification of Russia's war against Ukraine. That is not the same as banning remembrance of the dead.

In brief

• The United Nations recognizes 8 and 9 May as days of remembrance and reconciliation for all victims of the Second World War.

• Latvian law restricts symbols used to signal military aggression and war crimes at public events, and also restricts glorification of Nazi and communist regimes.

• Fact-checkers have already examined similar stories about Riga: the dispute was not only about flowers, but also about banned symbols, Russian flags and St. George ribbons.

• In Berlin in 2026, restrictions concerned Russian, Soviet and propaganda symbols near memorials on 8 and 9 May, not the act of remembering the Second World War.

• The phrase "Europe banned May 9" mixes different legal systems, different remembrance dates and modern restrictions on war symbols.

Why this matters

Second World War memory is often used in Russian- and Belarusian-language propaganda as an emotional lever. This framing shifts attention from concrete public-safety rules to an accusation that whole countries are fighting against memory itself. For Russian-speaking audiences in the EU and Belarus, it can create the false impression that honoring the dead has become punishable.

What we checked

We checked three parts of the claim:

• Whether there is any international ban on commemorating the Second World War on 8 or 9 May.

• What Latvian rules on public events and symbols actually restrict.

• How fact-checkers and media described similar stories about May 9 restrictions in Riga and Berlin.

Evidence

The UN explicitly describes 8 and 9 May as a time of remembrance and reconciliation for those who lost their lives during the Second World War. The General Assembly recognized that member states may have their own days of victory, liberation and commemoration, and invited states, organizations and individuals to observe one or both days in an appropriate manner. This does not support the idea that remembrance is banned in Europe.

Latvia's Saeima adopted amendments in 2022 on public events. They ban symbols used to signal military aggression and war crimes, unless the context is educational, scientific, artistic or otherwise not connected with justifying such crimes. The same Saeima statement says the law also prohibits the glorification of Nazi and communist regimes at public events, while allowing exceptions where the purpose is not the justification of totalitarian crimes.

Myth Detector examined a similar manipulation about Riga. Russian media created the impression that people were dispersed only because they brought flowers to a Soviet monument. The fact-checkers noted that Soviet symbols, Russian flags and St. George ribbons were also displayed, and that these symbols are restricted under Latvian law. So the conclusion "flowers were banned" removes key context.

In Germany in 2026, reports about Berlin also concerned bans on Russian and Soviet symbols, St. George ribbons, the letters Z and V and other symbols near Soviet memorials on 8 and 9 May. Even those reports described zones and symbols linked to the current war and propaganda, not a ban on people remembering war victims.

Debunk.org has described the same pattern more broadly: Kremlin and pro-Kremlin media often present restrictions on symbols of aggression as an attempt to "erase Victory Day" or as "Russophobia". This replaces the factual issue of public symbols with an ideological accusation.

What remains unknown

We did not check every municipal rule in Europe for 8 and 9 May 2026. Some cities may have temporary restrictions linked to security, location, crowd size or specific symbols. But the sources reviewed here do not support the broad claim that Europe bans remembrance of victory over Nazism or flower laying as such.

Conclusion

The claim that Europe banned May 9 commemorations or remembrance of victory over Nazism is misleading. The real rules in different countries more often concern public glorification of totalitarian regimes, symbols of Russian aggression, Soviet military symbolism or order around specific memorials. That difference matters: restricting politicized symbols is not the same as banning remembrance of Second World War victims.

Sources

• Belarusian Investigative Center, Are May 9 celebrations outlawed in Europe? A fake from Belarusian state media, search result and blocked source page: https://investigatebel.org/en/fakenews/radio-minsk-stv-europe-may-9-victory-day

• United Nations, Time of Remembrance and Reconciliation for Those Who Lost Their Lives during the Second World War: https://www.un.org/en/observances/second-world-war-remembrance-days

• Saeima of Latvia, Use of symbols employed to signal military aggression and war crimes now banned in public events: https://www.saeima.lv/en/news/saeima-news/30873-use-of-symbols-employed-to-signal-military-aggression-and-war-crimes-now-banned-in-public-events

• Myth Detector, What Was Banned In Riga - Flowers Or The Usage Of Soviet Symbolics And The Ribbon Of St. George?: https://mythdetector.com/en/what-was-banned-in-riga-flowers-or-the-usage-of-soviet-symbolics-and-the-ribbon-of-st-george/

• Debunk.org, Kremlin media on the ban of Victory Day: the Baltic States are mental degenerates: https://www.debunk.org/kremlin-media-on-the-ban-of-victory-day-the-baltic-states-are-mental-degenerates

• Ukrainska Pravda, Germany officially bans Soviet and Russian symbols on 8 and 9 May: https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2026/05/06/8033474

Corrections and updates

No corrections at the time of publication.