euro|topics - The dispute over Soviet monuments

08/01/2009

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Tema destacado del Miércoles, 2. Mayo 2007

The dispute over Soviet monuments

In Estonia, the controversial bronze statue has been removed from central Tallinn to a military cemetery on the city outskirts. The removal of the monument, which for many Estonians was a symbol of Soviet occupation, led to heavy rioting. This has led Russians and Poles also to reflect on the removal of war monuments.

Delfi - Estonia

The Estonian news portal laments that there are so many Russians who are willing to burn Estonian flags and let themselves be fooled by the Kremlin's propaganda machinery at the slightest provocation. "It seems improbable that Russians and Estonians can't live together peacefully. The hostilities are a remnant of the Soviet Union, but unfortunately it will be a long time before they are overcome. Naturally, we could go on commemorating the victory of our grandfathers forever, but nowadays there are plenty of other things to do, and we shouldn't regard all Russians as occupiers. However, the laws of the land should be enforced to stop rowdies and extremists who go round breaking windows and tearing up Estonian flags." (02/05/2007)

Sydsvenska Dagbladet - Suecia

According to Tobias Lindberg, Estonia has the situation surprisingly well under control after the riots in Tallinn. The same is not true of Moscow, where for days now the Estonian embassy has been under siege from pro-Kremlin youth organisations and the mayor of Moscow has called for a boycott of 'fascist' Estonia. "Russia appears to be intent on further escalating the stormy situation in Estonia, instead of trying to defuse it. Double standards are behind its stance: Russia is frequently and rightly criticised by the rest of the world for things like its democratic deficits and the war in Chechnya. The Kremlin constantly rejects these accusations as attempts to interfere in Russia's internal affairs. But Moscow obviously has no reservations about interfering in something that is clearly an internal affair for Estonia." (02/05/2007)

Delfi - Letonia

Aris Janson also accuses Russia of double standards: "Moscow quietly had a war monument removed from the Russian city of Chimki. Three different versions were circulated in the media: the statue was removed to make way for road repairs, for the construction of a shopping centre and because the monument was a regular haunt for prostitutes. A monument was also dismounted in Stavropol this year. But neither here nor in Chimki did the removals trigger a wave of protests or demonstrations, nor were the local authorities branded fascists because of them." (02/05/2007)

Gazeta Wyborcza - Polonia

According to Marcin Wojciechowski, Poland's approach to dealing with Soviet monuments is better than that of Estonia. "It's good that Poland is calling on the EU to express its solidarity with Estonia, but it's a mistake to openly say that one side is right in this conflict. President Lech Kaczynski has quite rightly stressed that the removal of the statue to another site was a sovereign decision of the Estonian government that deserves to be respected. Unfortunately, the president failed to show any understanding for Russia's position. But the calls to destroy Russian monuments in Poland are completely inadmissible. It's not good that the minister for culture made such an implication - even if he retracted his statements later. Poland should be proud of the fact that the withdrawal of the Red Army 13 years ago took place without any kind of violence. None of the cemeteries for Russian soldiers were desecrated and there were no acts of hate against monuments or the bones of innocent people." (02/05/2007)

» de toda la revista de prensa del Miércoles, 2. Mayo 2007

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