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

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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