Tallinn, Estonia, 17th April 2007. A plan to remove the Red Army memorial from its current location in Tonismagi caused riots in the Estonian capital Tallinn.
Everything started yesterday when Estonian government made the decision to displace the Soviet memorial to a military's Defense Forces cemetery due to continuous problems between Estonians and Russian radicals near the memorial.
Thousands of policemen were put out to guard the displacement already yesterday morning. While during the day everything seemed quiet, it turned into a riot soon after.
By today there’s one killed, 12 police officers injured and 44 protesters injured. This is by far the worst riot in Estonia since the declaration of independence from Soviet Union in 1991.
The reasons for moving the Memorial could be looked at differently. What the world media is saying is that it’s a painful reminder of hardships of Soviet rule and Estonians wanted it removed from the city center while for Russian people it was a tribute to Red Army soldiers who died fighting Nazi Germans.
While it all is definitely true, most likely the main reasons for the displacement of the memorial are somewhat different. During the past months there have been vandalism and too many conflicts near the statue and considering it was all near the city center, this was no good place for the memorial.
While theoretically the riots were started by Russians who feel the history should be rewritten and memorial should stay were it was, the outcome of it all was something completely disparate. By midnight nobody was talking about the memorial anymore, but about drunken Russian vandals and the damage being done to the city.
Cars that got on the way of the protesters were turned upside down, nobody can even count the number of broken windows; newsstands were looted and eventually set on fire; one burned down house; demolished shops; removed and knocked down bus stations; crushed road signs and so on. At some point the memorial really didn’t matter anymore. One female policewoman who tried to stop the looting of a newsstand is in the hospital with a broken arm.
The one person who got killed during the riots was a Russian radical and he got killed fighting to another Russian radical. The 44 protesters, who got injured, were injured mainly due to the fact they were breaking windows with their fists.
Toomas Hendrik Ilves, Estonian president, suggested everyone to keep their sane mind and said that what we saw last night is nothing but looting and rioting and it was criminal and people involved in it are criminals. He added that it had nothing in common with keeping the memory of the dead. All the criminals will be captured, and they will get a strict but fair punishment.
The memorial was eventually removed from its current location at around 4am this morning. But events around the issue have most likely not ended.
Videos and pictures available in the bottom of this page –
http://www.delfi.ee/news/paevauudised/eesti/article.php?id=15685206
Politics
Factzone: The truth about Kim Jong Il
Kim Jong Il, the leader of the free world, has decided to move on to more fertile grounds, leaving with us just the memories of 8-color rainbows, singing Korean women and couple of nuclear weapons. But who was this man whose next ambition would have been to get the next Nobel Peace prize? Here are just a few facts you should know about.
more
Top 5 Conspiracy Theories Related to John F. Kennedy's Assassination
26.Aug 2011
Since just after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, conspiracy theories abou...read
ISRAEL KEEPING GHADDAFI AFLOAT
10.Mar 2011
...read
Glen Beck Is NOT the Anti-Christ!
10.Mar 2011
Hurtful and fiery rhetoric is now media’s default setting! This slippery and m...read
Recipe for A REVOLUTION! (10 easy steps - try not to get burned!)
28.Feb 2011
Rebellion is cooking in the air. People are mad as hell, and not going to take...read
Opinion
World governments charged with criminal negligence (in response to Megaupload case)
EARTH (thecheers.org) - Federal authorities of the universe have charged the governments of all the countries in the world as well as the operators actually in power in these countries with operating a criminal enterprise, the Galaxy warriors announced Today.
more
The Great OSCARS 2011 – or so it would seem
5.Mar 2011
So, how exciting......a morning off, the Academy Awards. I wish I could say the...read
Top 7 Expensive Bordellos. Prostitution: Shakedown, Tier Down, and Priced Out
31.Jan 2011
According to a report of the Washington DC-based US Department of State, The Ph...read
The Great Secret and Reason for the JFK Assassination
11.Oct 2010
The great question is why the great secret? On June 4 1963, President Kennedy s...read
Don't Do it! The 3 Worst Times to Get Tattoos
4.Oct 2010
As a general rule, tattoos gotten after 2 am are a bad idea. But in a bigger pi...read
|
Travel
Travel Warning 13 September 2010 - DO NOT TRAVEL TO IRAN
13.Sep 2010
TRAVELWISE has been watching the situation in Iran for some months in relation ...read
more
TRAVELWISE TRAVEL ADVISORY 5th June 2010. DO NOT TRAVEL TO ISRAEL.
5.Jun 2010
Given the recent incident whereby the Israeli intelligence agency, Mossad, used...read
TRAVELWISE. 16 APRIL 2010. EUROPEAN TRAVEL ALTERNATIVES
16.Apr 2010
Travelwise issues the following advice in relation to cancelled flights to, fro...read
TRAVELWISE 6 APRIL 2010. AUSTRALIAN AIR TRAVEL. THE BEST WAYS TO TRAVEL BY AIR IN AUSTRALIA.
5.Apr 2010
Regular readers might have seen and read the various advisory and no-fly notice...read
TRAVELWISE 2 APRIL 2010. QANTAS.
2.Apr 2010
Some concerns have been raised in relation to some of the maintenance practices...read
No Payoff From the Playoffs
$16.50 will Get Anyone in the Hall Mr McGwire
Stupid Athlete Tricks
Think Big! Think the World's Largest International Trade Show
Top 9 cool laptop accessories for laptop geeks
Twittering: I'm not that interesting
Cheers
|
