Tallinn had a hard night

[expat1]

After long discussions about the pro and contra of an 2nd WW monument in Tõnismägi street, tonight everything seemed to escalate.
57 (?) injured people, one dead, 300 arrested and people throwing stones on busses in the center of Tallinn, and today huge traffic jam because the streets are partly blocked, urg. Yesterday they built a huge tent because they wanted to start some excarvations next to the monument....


Just found that links:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6597497.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6598269.stm

[Eki]

I don't get it. Why don't they just leave it be and forget it? Why the big fuss? There are monuments for fallen Finnish soldiers in Russia and and I guess there may be similar ones for fallen Russian soldiers in Finland as well. They don't bother me, the people underneath are dead, they can't hurt anybody.

[janneppi]

Was it a deliberate decision to move the memorial just before Russia's big day?
If it was, it shows unnecessary bad attitude from Estonia.

A friend of mine was in Tallinn when there was a football match between Estonia and Russia, there were big Russian crowds at the memorial and to my frien, it seemed a bit orchestraded by Russian authorities.

[gadjo_dilo]

Guys, guys, it's hard to understand it when you didn't enjoy life under the Soviet boot. I think many of the former communist countries destroyed or moved monuments that remembered the glorious soviet army.

[janneppi]

I can quite well understand why Estonians want the statue moved.

[Eki]

Guys, guys, it's hard to understand it when you didn't enjoy life under the Soviet boot. I think many of the former communist countries destroyed or moved monuments that remembered the glorious soviet army.

I can understand statues of Lenin or Stalin being destroyed, but to me a grave is a sacred place, no matter the nationality of the buried. I think dead bodies should only be dug up and replaced only if their families want them to be.

[A.F.F.]

Thank god my father was there night before and not last night. I just saw the news and it all seemed unbelieveble.

[gadjo_dilo]

I can understand statues of Lenin or Stalin being destroyed, but to me a grave is a sacred place, no matter the nationality of the buried. I think dead bodies should only be dug up and replaced only if their families want them to be.

I think the main problem is the monument not the graves. Maybe they should remove the statue and let the graves. I understand these things are in the centre of the city and I know it's hard to glorify something that caused pain to your country.
We have such a monumental construction in a park where the heads of the communist regime, including a president, were buried. Was it fair to relax in the park and to see that those who destroyed my youth are honoured? I don't think so and nobody protested when they were removed.
Even the bones of the unknown soldier , the symbol of those who gave lives for the country, were removed a few times until they found a proper place for the grave. It was made with state honours and religious service so nothing was out of order.

[janneppi]

gadjo_dilo, does your country have 1/3 minority of Russians lke Estonia does?

[gadjo_dilo]

God forbid, no. But I have a feeling the russian minority in Estonia is mainly a result of the russification process that took place in all the former soviet republics. And in this case I think they should shut up and assume the errors of the past.