REACTIONS TO REMOVAL OF ESTONIA,S BRONZE SOLDIER

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TALLINN 000280 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR EUR/NB - VICTORIA MIDDLETON, KEITH ANDERTON AND JAMES LOVELL E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/27/2017 TAGS: PGOV PREL RS EN SUBJECT: REACTIONS TO REMOVAL OF ESTONIA,S BRONZE SOLDIER REF: A) GOLDSTEIN-MIDDLETON/PEKALA EMAILS 27APR2007 B) TALLINN 276 C) TALLINN 279 Classified By: CDA Jeff Goldstein for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (SBU) Summary: On the evening of April 26, a mostly young, mostly Russian crowd of 1,000-1,500 demonstrating against the removal of the Bronze Soldier monument refused police orders to disperse. The police then dispersed the crowd by force. As the demonstrators scattered they broke shop windows, looted liquor stores and kiosks and overturned cars. Some 44 demonstrators and 12 police were injured. One demonstrator was killed, allegedly at the hands of a fellow demonstrator. In response, the government removed the statue during the night and plans to relocate it to a military cemetery. There is a significant prospect of further unrest, with Estonian nationalist groups possibly joining the mix. There is widespread concern over the impact yesterday,s events will have on the future of integration efforts of ethnic Russians in Estonia and Estonia,s reputation abroad. End Summary. Situation Update -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Shortly after 9:30PM April 26, police ordered a crowd of 1,000-1,500 individuals to disperse. (Note: The evening TV news had just signed off at 9:30. End note.) When the crowd refused, the police began to use riot control equipment including tear gas, rubber bullets, and flash grenades. Extensive looting and vandalism ensued. The Ministry of Defense (MOD) estimates that approximately 600 of the demonstrators participating in the rioting. Press reports indicate one fatality, 44 demonstrators and 12 police injured badly enough to require treatment, and roughly 300 people arrested, and released shortly thereafter. (Note: The fatality was reportedly due to one demonstrator stabbed by another. The majority of injuries were reportedly the result of broken glass. RSO has not received any reports of police misconduct. End Note.) The press is reporting that young Estonians plan to gather tonight to stage a counter demonstration. In an effort to discourage further violence, PM Ansip warned parents and young people alike that a five year prison sentence was no way to begin one,s youth. Response from the Government -------------- ¶3. (C) At 3:40AM in the morning, an emergency government committee met and ordered the Bronze Soldier be removed. While it will eventually make its new home at the War Cemetery, the current location of the statue is currently unknown. This morning the MFA issued a release stating that the decision was made &to avert further brutal acts of public violence,8 and that the Bronze Soldier was removed so that it &cannot be used in the future as a reason or cause for extensive dangerous rioting.8 Prime Minister Ansip,s foreign policy advisor, Kyllike Sillaste-Elling, reiterated to us the government,s feeling that the events last night were the expressions of a small minority of Estonia,s ethnic Russians and, as such, the reaction will fade once the Bronze Soldier is relocated to a nearby military cemetery. Therefore, the government does not presently have a specific plan for reaching out to the ethnic Russian community, as they do not want to frame the issue as one of Estonians versus Russians. Sillaste-Elling said a suitable new site for the statue is currently being prepared, and relocation should occur within a few weeks. In the meantime, MOD will proceed with excavation of any WWII-era remains that may be at the old site of the statue. ¶4. (SBU) In a tough, law-and-order public address at noon, President Ilves noted that last night,s events were not ethnic violence, but pure criminal activity and vandalism. In a veiled reference to the fact that most of the rioters were Russians, Ilves stated that such violence leaves a stain on young people for their entire lives, &at least of those who want to live in Europe.8 At a press conference this morning, PM Ansip noted that the GOE had planned to move the Bronze Soldier with ceremony and respect, but that became impossible after last night,s riots. The Tallinn City Council is complaining that the government has left the city without protection. ¶5. (C) Andreas Kaju, Advisor to Minister of Defense Jaak Aaviksoo, indicated to us that the riots were not organized, but that those involved were communicating through text TALLINN 00000280 002 OF 002 messages and the Russian website Delfi,. He stated that Estonian youths planning to gather tonight are communicating through the same means. They are not believed to be acting on the orders of extremist agitators, but are just &kids looking for a fight.8 Kaju noted that the Estonian security police, KAPO, is approaching known Estonian nationalist leaders and warning them to not act or risk extreme penalties. Kaju said that the GOE always had a contingency plan in place to move the monument immediately if violence escalated. In regards to ongoing challenges in court, he noted that public safety and order take precedence. Reaction in the Community -------------- ¶6. (C) Former Reform Party MP Sergai Ivanov, an ethnic Russian who lost his seat in Parliament over the Bronze Soldier issue, told us that he consistently told &his PM8 that removal of the statue was a mistake. He noted that recent events will further strain relations with the Russian Federation, and as such could make relations more difficult with the United States. He touched on integration concerns, stating that he is a Reform Party ethnic Russian who believes in liberal Reform Party ideas; however, Russians generally find it difficult to understand how he could be a member of the party whose actions resulted in the removal of the Bronze Soldier. ¶7. (C) Many have voiced their concern to us about the future of integration in Estonia after last night,s events. Tanel Mtlik, Director of the Non-Estonians, Integration Foundation told us that recent events will have a very negative effect on integration efforts, as they will reduce trust between Russians and Estonians. He noted that many will fail to understand that the rioting young people are just a very small part of the Estonian society and are not representative of any ethnicity and ultimately have nothing to do with the Bronze Soldier. He stated that the Foundation has begun work on a plan to restore trust and stabilize the situation between the different communities. Currently, the Foundation is calling for people to calm down and not react to provocations. Mtlik stated that the Foundation is reaching out to various communities and will likely address the public this afternoon. ¶8. (C) Aleksandr Dusman, Chairman of the Ida-Virumaa Jewish community and an active community integration leader, told us there has never been a riot like this in Estonia. He agrees that last night,s events were not organized by Russian extremists, stating that the Russian community has no unifying leaders, only fringe element extremists. Dusman highlighted the dangers for the integration process including the possibility that, due to the acts of a few, Estonians will lose faith in the integration process, which may result in an Estonian backlash. He believes that an even more pressing danger is that Estonia,s Russian community may become even more susceptible to Russian Federation propaganda and that Estonia,s Russian press and will provide an opening for extremists. GOLDSTEIN